Harry Potter World!

Hello, hello I am back from my long stay of solidarity against this site. Sorry about that by the way, turns out I'm much lazier than originally anticipated but I am here, I have arrived and I have fun things to share. First off, I'm a college student now. Woot woot. Swaggie. Cheers and all that. But that is not what this post is about. Instead I am opting to share my time at Diagon Alley in Universal Studios of Orlando, Florida. I went on vacation to Florida with a pal of mine and she so graciously took me to Universal which is by far one of the greatest days of my existence.

Harry. Potter. World. An entire part of an amusement park built to amuse me and to entertain my obsession with all things wizardy and magical. Truth be told I never wanted to leave so long as they could maybe turn up the AC in the good ol' sunshine state as well as make the crowds disappear. Other than that I had a dandy time and wanted to share some of the amazing buildings and fun things that went on while I was there. So, without further ado here is a video documenting my time at Diagon Alley.

It is crappy. It's not professional. I am a rather poor camerawoman and don't regret it.

Lots of love.

Hayley xx


(OH AND I WILL HAVE A POST UP ABOUT COLLEGE SOON ENOUGH THIS IS ALL RATHER EXCITING AND ALSO MASSIVELY ANNOYING ALL THE SAME OK BYE)

The Rest of My NC Trip

I woke up at a wonderful hour this morning so that I could get in a crowded car to drive back to reality. Not exactly my cup of tea but who am I to be picky.

The rest of my trip was absolutely wonderful. I think it might've been the salty sea air or perhaps the golden kissed tone of my skin that makes me feel like some sort of female Adonis (jokes, he was one handsome guy and I alas, am not..a guy that is).

Many a thing happened in my last few days.

One such thing is this.

My mom was extremely thrilled at the idea of me sitting in the surf as high tide rolled in. Not even a minute after this picture was taken my chair flipped over completely. This continued to happen periodically before I decided that I didn't like being flipped upside down in something as measly as the surf crashing on the shore. So I again let the actual ocean take care of that. 

If you look closely you can see my burnt knees. They're no longer burnt though. Want to know why? Because aloe. Aloe. Or a version of that.

This stuff is sent from the heavens above. Its a soothing lotion that also locks in tan and I've been using this for years and haven't been disappointed. 

I don't use this on my face just because my face is very sensitive to a lot of fragrant products. Instead, I use SPF lotion from the Simple line as well as a moisturizing facial wash for showering off all the salt that has hardened to a crisp on my face. 

Very, very good for picky skin. 

Now I have a collage of pictures that I took and think are nice. Enjoy.

And that is the conclusion of my trip.

Night.

Hayley 

xx

NC Day 2

Yesterday I sat on the beach and read. Really, that's pretty much what happened. I read a throwback Sarah Dessen book, one I fancied whole heartedly back in my early days of high school.

And then I got my butt handed to me by the waves when I went swimming, emulating the true mermaid way. I am no Olympic swimmer and that was shown clearly when waves would swallow me but alas nothing makes me happier than being at the beach and I would laugh it off because self deprivation is such a nice quality.

After my endless hours on the beach I went to Walmart with my parents as sundown arrived. In Walmart, ironically next to the suntan lotion aisle, I discovered that my stomach wasn't tan as I had originally thought, but more or less a burnt sienna color. Not cute, not sassy, a deeply confused mesh of burn and tan.

Look at the sunset isn't it so pretty? The sun looked like a flaming gobstopper. Use your imagination.

Then after we had gotten off the bridge we stopped at Dairy Queen. All hail the queen of Blizzards, particularly this Oreo Cheesecake one that had gooey chunks of cheesecake and crunchy chunks of Oreo, hello heaven I'm Hayley how are you?

That was pretty much my first day in a nutshell. Sand in my pants when I finally took off my bathing suit bottoms for my shower (so much so that there was a literal pile on the floor), aloe (it's your best friend), family bonding time (bless us all).

Today I'm pretty confident things will end up nearly the same if not with more sunburn (USE SUNSCREEN IT PROTECTS YOUR SOFT, LOVELY, YOU ONLY GET IT ONCE SO PROTECT IT SKIN) and more food to shove in my face.

Hayley
xx

NC Day 1

Yesterday I embarked on a car ride to the North Carolina shore. With three other teenagers/young adults, two parents, and a dog in tow there were definitely some bumps and bruises in the execution of the trip down.

Nothing of much excitement happened yesterday so I shall leave it at that. Just know that my leg fell asleep a multitude of times and with it came my griping that cars are too small for people nearly six feet tall.

Hayley
xx

Beach Trip Uno

Well, it's that time of the year again. The time of overpacking, grabbing an extra hairbrush when I should have, in fact, grabbed the toothpaste. A wonderful somewhat stressful time of packing for a long awaited trip.

Ah, a beach vacation. It's technically, if I'm being honest, more or less of a two day stay-cation in my lovely (eh) state. A few months back my friends and I decided that we wanted to go on a little trip as a last hoorah seeing as one of us is enlisted in the military and won't be able to partake in such watery tom-foolery for much longer. So tomorrow morning we're packing up my best friends' moms SUV and heading to the coast for a two day, one night stay. I'm hoping the beach isn't terribly cold. The last time I went was in March and I spent my time huddled in a sweater in the comfort of the hotel bed. Cold is the enemy, until its summer. And seeing as the heat where I am in Virginia has reached upwards of 95 degrees the escape to the incredibly windy beach will be a welcome change up in the weather I have experienced lately.

But back to packing. I suppose I'll just put up here the clothes that I'm packing.

Of course I need a pari of pajamas or as I like to call them, shorts and a t-shirt. They're so unextroidinary that I didn't bother photographing them. They're worn and don't match but I'll say that my shorts, aka mens boxers that were on sale, have cute little whales on them.

Bathing suit wise I decided to bring two suits. This is merely for convenience seeing as I'm not a fan of wearing soggy suits to and from the beach when I haven't even taken a dip.

Top and bottom from Aerie. 

Top and bottom from Aerie.

Please try and forgive the horrid pictures. The camera I used had an awful case of "let me put the date and time this picture was taken in the most random of places so Hayley has to crop the heck out of all her pictures." 

Dinner tomorrow night will consist of me trying to not harm what will most likely turn out to be sunburn on my shoulders. I'm planning ahead with a pretty lightweight maxi dress thingy.

American Eagle

In case I get cold I've got a snazzy crochet, oatmeal colored crop sweater to put over top of it. 

Sweater/Forever 21

For when it gets cold, because it does indeed get a wee nippy on summer nights and even days when you've been sat in the sun for an exoriborant amount of time, I've got a comfy hoodie to throw on. 

American Eagle who would've guessed?

And this is my swanky hat that will hopefully prevent my freckles from catching onto the quick procreation of bunnies and multiplying into a mess. 

Wish me luck on the car ride tomorrow. I will most definitely be needing it. And for anyone traveling make sure to double check yourselves and always bring moisturizer if you're going somewhere warm where the sun can dry you out. My favorites for that will come with Beach Trip Dos which I'll post Saturday because I'm leaving Sunday. 

Lots of love.

Hayley

xx

Destination: Graduation

Today I graduated high school. Not really sure exactly how I should be feeling right now seeing as I have just closed the door and thrown the key to my long drawn history with my primary education. To be honest the ceremony was lackluster but I'm just bitter because it didn't compare in the slightest to High School Musical 3 which is a bummer. But hey, I now have a piece of paper that tells the world I am relatively educated and slightly more cynical towards walking in crowded hallways and public water fountains. That's just the aftermath of a lifetime holding your breath when you spy a sick kid hacking into the wide, fresh, open air.

My friend on student council, who sat in a lovely spot on the stage, took some cute candids of me as I graduated.

I did my best not to trip, fall, injure myself or others, bring shame upon my house, curse the village, plague my people, cause global warming to quicken its pace, etc. My mission was successful.

I was wearing several inches of hot as heck wedges by Vera Wang and truly felt as if I were going to snap my little ankles on the tarnished football field of dreams that we all had to walk on to get to our seats. Beauty is pain. Triumph is fist bumping your Stats teachers' husband when you successfully make it back to your seat successfully. Mind you, I am a "V" last name. I had maybe, at most, thirty kids left in the class after I was called. So it wasn't much longer after myself that the final kid, a guy with a "Z" last name, walked across the stage and earned himself a huge helping of claps.

One of our many rules was to not have a phone but of course I wasn't about to just follow such a simple rule mostly because I wanted to take cool pictures and take cool pictures I did.

We were given handy confetti stick things that we shook and multicolored pieces of paper flew all around and into my bra and my shoe and a cardboard stick flew into the back of my head because someone behind me had a bad case of the butterfingers.

Two years ago when my brother graduated I thought that the confetti thing was one of the coolest cultivations of slight hand movements resulting in a sea of white, green, and blue paper that I had ever seen. Being a part of it this morning was pretty dang satisfying as well.

After the ceremony finished all the graduates were wedged between two lines of teachers wishing us well on our future endeavors. I saw my Global Issues teacher from this past year and said, "It was nice knowing you Matthew" to which he replied with a laugh because your girl can't be penalized for addressing him by his first name any more. After all that hullabaloo I got to take pictures with a few of my friends. I like friends.

Hugs not drugs.

Cryin with joy on da inside.

Cheesin'. 

And well, today has been pretty eventful. A lot of pictures will a great deal of people that have impacted me positively in life and I have so many other pictures that I haven't shared on here that I'll treasure for the rest of my life. No, I wasn't hit with some grandiose epiphany today like I thought I would be. Maybe its because I checked out of high school years ago, maybe no one gets that feeling. All I know is that the ball is starting to roll for the rest of my life and nothing is certain and every day is an opportunity to be a better you and to make your dreams and hopes and aspirations a little less unattainable. I graduated today and am blessed for the path that got me here. Thank you to my family, friends, and even Karen (my AP Lit teacher). Graduation is just the beginning of all the good stuff. 

Lots o' love.

Hayley

xx

Saved By The Bell (Literally)

Hello, I have returned from my long winded trip to "finish high school with as much vigor and as little stress as possible." I'd say the trip was a massive success.

Yes, friends, I have finished the dreaded last year of high school. In less than a weeks time I will be a full fledged honors graduate of high school. Can we please take a pause to appreciate this momentous occasion for I will no longer be subjected to teachers who dress code me for shorts that are a mere half inch above my middle finger.

Bless Be the Broken Road plays in the background as the camera zooms in on my bed while a montage of all the mornings I've had to leave it flash in the background.

Anyway, I am both saddened and delighted by this fact for I do get massively nostalgic, I've still got a t-shirt I wore when I was six, but I am fully unprepared for the future and that makes me happy. No one has it all figured out and I have learned that trying to plan out your life is futile therefore I shall just do everything with as much effort as I can muster and make my future happen while also appreciating the present (don't forget about the present, you're kind of living in it right now).

My best advice for anyone extremely anxious about leaving the eagles nest (punny because thats my schools mascot) is to take it in stride. A great deal of people are unable to achieve what you have just achieved for many different circumstances and its a blessing that you are able to complete such a momentous mile stone. So cry about it, I definitely will, and take loads of pictures. Bask in the company of the people you grew up with. Even if you find most all of them annoying just be glad that you got to spend time around them because sucky people teach you the kinds of people you don't want to be around. Instead of spending your adult life questioning if Susie is an alright person just remember that Debbie acted just like her in junior year Chemistry and then maybe you'll be saving yourself some time. (Apologies to anyone named Susie and Debbie, surely you're upstanding citizens with nice smiles.)

I'm glad to leave high school. I outgrew it but I learned to appreciate it while I had it because college and life beyond is nothing like the crowded halls smelling of gym shorts and stale french fries. High school will not ever be referred to as the best time of my life because I know it won't be. I've got big plans that I'll make happen somehow but I'm just excited to spend my summer among friends and family and loads of watermelon.

Now, here are some pictures of one of my outfits I wore during my last week. It's super cute.

Am I Kelly yet? Yeah? Okay thanks. 

Kelly Kapowski shirt/Pac Sun
Blazer/H&M
Shorts/American Eagle
Shoes/Pac Sun 

And theres a picture of me trying to take a selfie during Stats. Look at that form. Magnificent. Much love. Until next time. 

Hayley xx

Bad Habits

Hello!

So I'm posting about bad habits. We all have them, don't lie. I'm going to be up front about mine. I tend to procrastinate heavily and with such a vigor that its an easy thing to question why I haven't put such effort into actually doing my work in the first place. Now, this applies to homework mostly but it also applies to the upkeep of tho blog. I just read though some of my posts and I totally lie on here, unintentionally of course. I'm always writing that I'll post tomorrow or soon or whatever it is I say.

I don't mean to lie but I am guilty of doing it.

This mostly happens due to me being so exhausted from going to school that by the end of the night when I actually have time I never actually feel awake enough to do so. Another one of my bad habits is playing on my phone way too much. It's not even that I'm addicted to Angry Birds or that new game 2048 (is that even the title?). It's simply just me going on the Internet. So technically I'm addicted to the Internet and not my phone. My phone is just a vessel for my dependence to fester.

How do you remedy these bad habits you may ask? Well, the easiest way is to acknowledge them. Pretending a problem doesn't exist doesn't make it go away. If you've heard otherwise let me know so I can metaphorically slap some sense into the person that told you because no offense to them but they're wrong. I also have a bad habit of forgiving too easily. Forgiveness is a virtue thats for sure but just because someone says sorry doesn't mean you can just open yourself back up to them. With age I've learned to gradually become better at forgiveness but I tend to let things go pretty darn quick so I mean its something I should probably work on but I will later. (see my procrastination even spans to my other bad habits)

Anyway I think that making a conscious effort to rid yourself of these habits is the first key and concrete step to breaking them. So as I hope all of you try to kick your habit of borrowing your mom's clothes without telling her (I do that) and eating all of the watermelon during the summertime (me as well) Ill be trying to recover from the fact that I've waited until the last day to take my Math Placement test for college.

Good luck.

Hayley
xx

Daily Drab

Hello!

Today I seriously wasn't feeling the whole pants thing and opted for a much comfier yet not totally bummy look. To be quite honest this outfit reminds me of some sort of gothic prairie garb but I think it the black and gray really showcased how I feel about educational Mondays.

Sweater/H&M
Shoes/Forever 21
Maxi Dress/TJ Maxi

V Necklace/American Eagle
Green Choker/my moms collection

Special thanks to my good old brother for taking time out of catching up on his sleep after finals to take these pictures for me. Much love.

This look is really simple and easy to put together for school, running errands, or traveling. It can even be dressed up with no sweater but a blazer instead and heels if that so fancies you. The black and gray certainly juxtaposes the summer-esque weather but hey, winter clothes in summer heat is totally okay so long as you are plenty hydrated.

Until tomorrow.

Hayley
xx

The Prom of All Proms: Senior Prom

Hello!

So last week was my senior prom, cue that awful graduation music and let the streamers fly. It was an experience that's for sure but I'd like to share a bit about it if you all don't mind. (Sorry for not posting earlier your girl is swamped with exams!)

Anyway, Saturday, May 3rd, was my prom. It was my first and last prom and truthfully I am very glad I happened to go. I didn't go my junior year and at the time I was upset about my decision but in hindsight I think I did what was right for me. Instead, on prom night 2k13 I was having a chicken party and making vines with my friends so tell me who was the real winner. I was. But I decided to go to prom this year because I wanted the stories and memories and honestly I just want to be able to show my future husband how much hotter I was than his date.

How exactly does one prepare for such a momentous occasion you ask?

Do you like I did.

That's my friend and I eating cake pops and cookies. 

Prom. Live it. Love it. 

Taking selfies is always a must especially when the lighting is so good that you can't even see your face. Such art. 

Taking pictures of the corsage that your date got you (or the one you bought yourself because who doesn't want that prom staple bouncing on their wrist all night) is good because frankly they get a little wonky after a while. 

At the actual prom they had a chocolate fountain (bless) and a Photo Booth (bless) and I got carried away with both. 

But the most fun I had was fingering out what to wear. I didn't stress about it because stress doesn't head results. Instead I went with the flow of things and wore what felt right instead of trying to force a look. My dress was found at Lord and Taylor in New York City over spring break (to which I am also writing up posts about) and the Ralph Lauren masterpiece made me feel pretty doggone good about myself. But the kicker were my shoes found at my local Kohl's. These spiky little treats definitely pulled my entire rockerish except not chic look together. 

Overall prom was an experience but my night was just like any other night where I ate tater tots and played board games with my friends. I recommend going to prom even if its just for five minutes because pictures last while but the memories will last you a lifetime. Plus I mean the pictures can be used as a way to tease your future man/woman. My mom teases my dad about his choice of powder blue tux and date still to this day. 

I leave you will a picture of my friend promposing to me. (It's a lot better if you're familiar with the Hunger Games.)

Adieu!

Hayley 

xx

Prom 2k14

Hi there!

So today is prom. The holy grail of all high school events, even more so for me because this is my last high school dance ever in the history of ever. Currently I'm eating fruit not bothered by the fact that I'll have to get ready in an hour. But I will of course be creating a master post tomorrow of all of the fun diddlies and dooha's that will be going on as I get ready and what not.





This was our invitation for prom. Isn't that just the most crafty and delicious thing you've ever seen in your sweet lives? I thought so seeing as I inhaled that chocolate bar in 2.1 seconds flat.

Besides prom I'll be posting about my spring break trip to New York City and there will also be a sweet  and blessed haul coming after that. Wish me all the luck in the world so my eyeliner is equal on both sides.

Hayley

xxxx

Cheesecake Factory Adventure

Hello!

So I went to the Cheesecake Factory last night for dessert with my friends as an early birthday celebration for me. Now, cheesecake is not necessarily my forte so much as cake or cookies are BUT it is still a wonderful way to lose any body progress I have made over the past few months. 

I got this one that had an incredibly long drawn out name which started with "Adam" so if anyone knows the exact title feel free to comment because its obvious I'm too lazy to look it up myself. Anyway, the cheesecake was amazing to say the least. I literally just finished the rest of it for breakfast because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Now, I'll leave you with a picture of it to drool over. I would've drooled over mine last night but I was halfway asleep and jonesing for a comfy surface to nap on. 

Just a disclaimer, the picture is awfully unfocused and not super cute but just imagine it sitting in front of you and you'll be fine. 

Kidding. I just spent twenty minutes trying to upload the picture to no avail. It was good though, all caramel covered and peanut butter topped. Yum.

Hayley

xx

How to Deal With the Fact That You Weren't at Coachella

Hi there! I know it's been ages and ages since I last posted but I have been busy with totally important things like procrastinating on my homework and wasting my life away on Tumblr. But I am back and am completely prepared to post all the wonderful things that will be happening in the next few months.

So by the title one can assume that I'm going to be posting about Coachella. You, my attentive little friend, are correct. Let me break this down for anyone that is unaware of what Coachella is. It's an annual music and arts festival that spans two consecutive weekends in Inland Empire's Coachella Valley a.k.a. Indio, California. Basically this little shindig is the epitome of hippie ideals/indie music/boho fashion. Besides its cost (big bucks I am not in possession of) and the fact that its on the opposite side of the country (boo distance) I am horrendously in love with the festival and all of its glory.

Due to my lack of attendance I have been in a state of "why me" since it began. In my disparaging time I have managed to follow a good dozen accounts on Tumblr dedicated to Coachella and the amazing musical acts/ guests in attendance.

But hey, we can't all get what we want when we want it which is why I'm creating a survival guide on how to deal with the soul crushing truth that Coachella occurred without you or I.

1) Make friends with your pantry. That fellow will comfort you when no musician or fringe clad celebrity will.

Half this food is mine. Mine. 

2) Go onto a music sharing website and listen to playlists created but other people like you that could not attend. The playlists are usually filled with the artists and songs that you would've heard if you had been so fortunate as to attend and hear it live.

Make sure it's loud enough 

 to drown out any angry grunts or noises you may make.

3) Tumblr comes in handy once more to creep on celebrities. 

And saving the tag "Coachella" is also a way for your unhealthy obsession to become even greater. As you can see I have invested in pressing the save button on that tag. 

4) Now here's the fun part. Pretend you're actually there by finding a body of water (it could be a pool, lake, bathtub, glass of water) and act like you're at one of the crazy exclusive pool parties they have at the festival. Make sure to also wear yourself a big floppy hat and smile a lot in your selfies as to fool your friends into thinking you were actually there. 

I'm wearing a lovely pair of overalls and a flannel shirt which actually fits into Coachella fashion trends so if you'd like to go so far as to do that then by all means. 

Also try that picture that people deem the "hotdog or leg" picture. 

And to top it all off walk around barefoot. It's a thing there. Don't worry about the dirt and germs, throw away your hand sanitizer, no, once you go hippie you can't go back. 

5) Look at pictures of your favorite celebrities and live vicariously through those pretty people. 

Oh the tears.

Try not to cry too much.

So there you go. That's pretty much how to deal with not attending Coachella. Don't be too sad if you didn't go because you can always Google pictures and see your crushes dancing and swaying and attending. Like Harry Styles for example. Don't be upset that he gets to attend your favorite music festival that you've never even been to all the while being your celebrity crush. No, universe, it's totally fine I don't mind. 

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this. Lots of love.

Hayley 

xx

Flashback Friday

Hi!

Let's take a step back in time shall we?

A few years back I was fortunate enough to have been invited to the Vice Presidents' home as well as the White House. It was for the annual Christmas party and I can say with 100% confidence that no other cookies will ever compare to the cookies shaped like the First Dog (is that what you call him?). Besides the refreshments that unfortunately I am now unable to ingest on a regular basis there were plenty of selfie opportunities. Having seen the inside of the red room, green room, etc. before, I felt like I was a pro when it came to where the best self involved photos could be taken.

Exhibit A:

Pardon the quality. I don't claim to have been or ever to be a
good photographer.

Exhibit B:

I'm fairly confident that I am not going to be invited back under any circumstance. Hope my escapades as a 16 year old in the White House at Christmas were amusing.

Until next time.

xxxxxx