Best friends take outfit photos for you.

Hanging out with Mr. Colby is always a treat. He's really the greatest friend ever. Case in point - he takes my outfit pictures for me... 

Jeans - Hollister Co// Necklace, bracelet - Forever 21//

Shirt - Target, borrowed from my roomate// Sunglasses - Target

Can you even believe these sunglasses were $2.50?! I have a huge love for sunnies, but I haven't been able to wear contacts in nearly a year! (I have a chronic eye infection -- isn't that disgusting?!) I'm hoping that I'll be able to wear them again soon, especially since it's nearly summer, and I've been taking such good care of my eyes! ;)

In other news, I've dyed my hair (and dyed just about everything else, including my bathroom door. How do you get stains out of wood? Freaking out!) 

Colby and I had lunch at Whisler's the other day, and I'll be blogging about that very soon! Blake and I looked at, ahem, jewelry yesterday. My bedroom is an absolute mess right now. And I feel very overwhelmed by school right now. That's a first for me! My tattoo is healing up, but it is incredibly itchy and peeling like crazy! I'm so ready for it to be done healing. 

Today is going to be 88 degrees! So ridiculous. And exciting. 

Happy April! 

xo Haley

Bringing Amelia Home.

In the past few years, God has blessed me in so many ways with the amazing friendship of Janel. She's been such a big sister to me, and she'll never know how grateful I've been for all of the texts and emails full of advice. :)

Janel and her husband Adam are adopting a little girl soon (in like, a week!), and as overjoyed as they are and Auntie Haley ;) ... Adoption costs money, and with a little over a week to go, $25,000 is a lot to come up with!
If you follow Janel's blog, then you are probably aware of all of the awesome opportunities available to give to this amazing family. But just in case you don't, here are some different ways!

* Quilt squares for Amelia
* An online yard sale full of original Elsie paintings
* Option to donate any amount of your choice
* Janel's Etsy shop is open for business! Her shop is full of cute prints all in the theme of helping her adopt, and her past online classes!

Be sure to stop by Janel's blog and wish her luck and maybe even help Janel & Adam bring sweet baby Amelia home. :)

Love you Janel! Your sweet family is in my prayers. ♥
xo Haley

Blog friends make the best friends.

Meeting Claire was one of the best spontaneous decisions ever! She is seriously the greatest girl, and definitely has God at the center of her life, which is so admirable. I'm so, so happy we made the leap and finally met!
In case you didn't know, Claire and I write a Christian blog for young women called After Your Heart, and we had never met before! We live about 4.5 hours away from each other, so on a weekend her church was hosting a girls event, I hopped in my car and drove on down to good old Arkansas!
Claire, you are the best! I'm so glad we finally met, and I have been totally blessed by your friendship. I'm very, very lucky that I can call you one of my best. Love you lots! ♥
xo Haley

BIRTHDAY TAKE OVER!!

IT'S HALEY'S BIRTHDAY!! SWAG 2 THA MAXXXX!!



Hi, blog world! This is Blake, Haley's boyfriend, and I am taking over this blog for just a moment. Haley doesn't know this, but I figured out her password and I totally jacked her blog. It's 2:30 in the morning and seeing that Haley is fast asleep, I just wanted to use this to surprise her and wish her a happy birthday on this special occasion! I'm going to do my best to not make this some sappy cheese-fest for you guys (or should I say ladies?), but I just wanted to take this time to tell you guys what all Haley means to me. And please bare with me on this. I'm not the world's greatest writer and I have a terrible time explaining myself, so if it get's a little rough at times I apologize in advance! You guys, the reader, are truly amazing! You have no idea the kind of impact you have on Haley's life. She's even stated at one point that her blog friends are better than her real friends. So I just wanted to thank you guys for having such an awesome impact in Haley's life.

Haley and I have been together for a little over 7 months now. 222 days to be exact. And I couldn't be more happier than I am right now. I knew from the first moment I saw Haley that she was the one meant for me. She looked at me with those intense, beautiful eyes and showed me that amazing smile and it completely rocked my world since that moment on. Nobody has ever shown me that kind of affection or made me feel like I truly matter to them in such a way that Haley has. I've never been the outgoing kind of guy. I used to spend all my time listening to music and going to see movies alone. Basically, being a loner. But Haley completely changed all that when she came into my life. She completely saw through everything that typically drove people away, and wanted to be closer to me. She made me feel like I was actually special, like I was something that was worth fighting for. I hadn't ever experienced that in my life until we started dating. Haley gives me purpose and a reason to strive for a great future. Besides music, Haley has been the biggest inspiration in my life. Everything she does from her paintings to her devote relationship with Jesus, to even her blog that you guys read every single week inspires me like you wouldn't even believe. I have the best friend in the entire world. Haley is someone I've completely given my heart to and my life is completely devoted to making her happy in everything that we do. The joy she brings into my life is so overwhelming. Nobody has ever made me smile more or given me such an intense purpose with my life. I know that everything I do in life, I was meant to do it all with Haley by my side. I couldn't get by through a single day without her. I love her more than anything in this world with my entire heart and more. I'm so incredibly lucky to be apart of her life every single day. Haley is the most unique, most gifted person I have ever met. She can take a completely ordinary thing and turn it into something all her own. It's incredible being able to see her thoughts and ideas come to life. I wish I had one ounce of that talent and creativity that she carries around. She's just an incredibly special person and I just want everyone to see that. I can't wait to spend my life with her. She makes me happier more than anything (as if you can't tell) and I'm excited to see what our lives together will be like in the next twenty years! I love you, Haley Tyson. You're the most important, most incredibly special person to me in my life. Don't go changing, pretty lady! No matter what anybody may tell you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me.
Happy birthday, cougar mama!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of us together throughout our relationship so far. But I think you guys have already seen them before:













Since I'm such a music nerd, I wanted to show you guys the top 5 songs that make me think of Haley:

1. The Knife - "Heartbeats (live)"



-- I remember the first time I played this song for Haley. She gave me the weirdest look and told me this song was so strange, and she doesn't know if she can like it. Weeks later, I come over and I'm creeping on her iTunes and low and behold, I find that she has downloaded not just this song, but this entire album by The Knife. This is what Haley does. I play her a song I think she'll like. She'll then act like she hates it. Then weeks later, she's in love with it. I've got my girl completely figured out. And if you're curious as to how much Haley likes this song. Well... it's going to be in our wedding someday and Haley wants to walk down the aisle to it. That's how much she likes it!

2. Beach House - "10 Mile Stereo"



-- I don't think Haley listens a band more than Beach House. It's constantly playing when I go to her house. CONSTANTLY. It's as if this is all she ever listens to. She has a freaking playlist made entirely out of her favorite Beach House songs. It's crazy. But I love Beach House as well, so I can't complain.

3. Smith Westerns - "Imagine, Pt. 3"



-- Smith Westerns was the first concert Haley and I went to together back in February in Kansas City. Besides two terrible opening bands and a really late start, it was an incredible show. I had already seen Smith Westerns the previous year, but I know Haley really enjoyed it. She has already told she wants to see them again. This makes me really happy because I do too. The drive home after sucked though. It started raining and on the way home I missed our turn off, so what was supposed to be a 2 and a half hour trip became a 4 hour drive because I drove us half way through the state to Joplin, and then back home. That was such a long night, but a truly fun one. It was completely worth it. That is something I will never forget.

4. Bonnie Tyler - "Total Eclipse of the Heart"



-- How could I not post this song? If you guys truly know Haley, then you will know this is her favorite song in the entire world. Besides maybe "Like A Prayer" by Madonna. BUT. She loves this song. And I do too. It's so freaking incredible! I can't ever get enough of it. So when Haley and I listen to it, we generally listen to it twice, just to get the full effect of how amazing it is!

5. Justin Bieber - "Never Say Never"



--Alright, I hate this kid. But seeing that it's Haley's birthday and all I had to post it. She's a belieber. She has bieber fever. She's just a freak. Just kidding! But I know how much Haley and her other (weirdo) blog friends love this kid, so I couldn't leave him out. It's just funny because I'm the one who started it by taking her to see his movie on Valentines Day. Before that she didn't have one care for him in the entire world. And now, she even has that she's a belieber in her Twitter bio (ridiculous). I have to hear about how in love with him she is along with what seems like every other dude in america right now, but whatevs. The kid can sing and is a pop idol. Mad props to him for getting Salena Gomez. GET OVER IT LADIES!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HALEY! I <3 YOU! Also, since I'm on here. You guys should follow my blog. I haven't posted anything in a few weeks, but just do it. Please? :)

(blogger) Colby Kern.

I'm interviewing one of my favorite bloggers today! You probably already know him... but everyone meet my best friend, Colby.

You are very involved in photography, interior design and fashion. What sort of career are you looking to pursue? Something that involves one or all of these?

All of those are huge passions of mine, and each of them are an outlet for my insane, creative energy. People keep asking me to choose between them, and I keep wondering why I have to choose! I plan on living a long time and I need something to keep me busy! I would love a career in fashion photography, I definitely see my life going in that direction. At the same time, I see myself designing beautiful rooms. I am confident that I can do it all! Why limit myself?

How did you get started in photography? Who are your inspirations?

I can always remember a time when I was interested in photography. Remember those disposable cameras? When I was 10, my parents couldn't afford to buy me a real camera, so I would get those instead. I would take pictures of my sisters and my toys. They were really really bad, but I loved them. I started getting serious about photography when I was modeling for other photographers, and it just unfolded over the years. My absolute biggest inspiration is Steven Klein. He's the guy who shoots most of the really awesome D&G ads. His work is so unique and bold. I try to model myself after him, because he really doesn't give a sh*t. That's refreshing to me. Google him.

I absolutely love your men's style feature. Which look has been your favorite so far?

Thank you! That's a tough question, because my style is always evolving. I like my more outrageous looks, because I love making a statement. Specifically, the military look from the fall. The one with the eye patch, remember? That sure turned a few heads, it was fierce.

Speaking of men's fashion, it seems that there aren't many men's fashion bloggers out there. Is that an advantage to you? In such a limited field, who are your inspirations?

It's true that there are not a lot of men's fashion bloggers, at least not quality ones. I like to think it makes my blog stand out from the lady dominated world of blogging, but 80% of my readers are women. I would love to reach more guys, because let's face it, men generally have bad taste. I don't have any male fashion blogs that inspire me, I am most inspired by people on the streets. Actually, I'm working on a blog post all about street fashion from my latest trip to NYC. I am really starting to develop a unique look, and I don't want to subscribe to a certain label or brand, you know? I do love high fashion and couture though, yes ma'am.

Regarding interior design & fashion, how would you describe your personal style?

My fashion and interior taste can be described as high class. I love big and fancy, I use the term "colonial funk" to describe my interior design style. It's a remix of traditional design. Think of Buckingham Palace mixed with really chunky metal furniture, and abstract art. That's what I want my house to look like. As for my clothes, I want to look like I belong on the runway, all the time. I am always going to make a statement, with both interior design and fashion. I'm gay, I can't help it.

You are incredibly talented when it comes to designing the overall look of a room. What got you so interested in interior design?

My grandmother Iris. She had impeccable taste. I spent a lot of time at her house when I was younger, and we were always working on some new project. I mean, it would be 10 o'clock at night, and she would get the urge to completely rearrange the living room. So we would! Honestly, everyday was something new. She taught me a lot about color coordination and fabric. I was sewing pillows at age nine! She also taught me the art of thrifting! She rarely bought anything new! I still apply that when I'm designing a room today. She passed away a few years ago from a long battle with cancer. It was hard for me because she was one of the few people in my family who understood me. But I can say that she is the reason I love interior design. You can thank her for all of that.

You just transferred to Missouri State! What is your official major, and why did you choose it?

I am so excited to finally transfer! My official major is photography with a minor in interior design. It's been a rocky journey getting to M.S.U. but that's a whole other story. Hard work pays off, kiddos! I chose that because it's something that I can see myself doing anywhere, especially since I am not sure where my life is taking me!

Your boyfriend, Blake, worked in London for a semester, and you say that you would love to work there someday, too. Do you see yourselves moving there after graduation?

I love London and I completely see myself there with Blake. I'm pretty sure you can count on us living there someday. Maybe not right after graduation, but eventually. New York is also somewhere I can picture us. His career is in theater, and those are the premier cities in the world to be for that. Lucky for me, they also work for my career too. But nothing is set in stone, and life is crazy. So who knows! All I can say is that I expect great things to happen in my life.

Considering that photography is both a creative outlet & a business, what are your long term goals creatively & professionally?

Honestly, I have so much creative energy that I don't have a fulfilling outlet in Missouri. My taste is far too controversial for the midwest, you know? As far as my long term goals, I hope to be able to combine my creative energy with business. Like I said before, I would love to work in fashion photography. Someday, I want to own my own studio as well. I need to get busy, huh?

My favorite Madonna song is "Like a Prayer." What's yours?

Obviously, it's no secret that Madonna is my biggest idol. I love that woman. Do I have to choose just one?! After a lot of thought, I'm going with "Like a Prayer". I guess that's why we are best friends! That song is flawless.

Thank you so much Colby, this was just about the cutest idea you've ever had! Love you best friend!

:)

Be sure to stop by Colby's blog (he's interviewing me too!) and look at his pretty photos and awesome fashion features!

xo Haley

Home.

Well, almost.

I'm back in St. Louis. I'm leaving later today though, and then I'll be home.

But then tomorrow, Blake and I are going to see Sleigh Bells/Neon Indian in Kansas City.

And then Colby and I are making plans to have a sleepover before he leaves on Friday.

And I need to go on a job search (BLAH), and maybe even an apartment search before the week is over.

So... Etsy has sort of been put on the backburner. For this week, at least.

I'm hoping to find some painting time soon, and then I'll start listing things.. hopefully by the end of next week. :)

Hope your Sunday is beautiful :)

xo Haley

ps. thank you all SO much for your kind words regarding Breigh.

I'm so proud of that girl. In the recent months, with her health not being so great, she's never once been 'pity me' or thought of herself over others. She'll be the first to go pray with you if she knows you're hurting or sick, even though she's suffering two diseases and a brain tumor. And despite all of that, she spent yesterday helping clean up in Joplin. I am so proud to call her my best friend. Thanks for you prayers and your support. You all are truly amazing.

♥

Breigh.

I am asking - practically begging - for your thoughts and prayers right now.

I got a text from Breigh an hour or so ago that her test results from last week came back, and that she does have a brain tumor. They are testing her tonight to see if it is cancerous, and she and her family meet with a surgeon on Monday.

This is all becoming so real right now.

I have never sat in a shower just...crying. My heart is breaking right now. I can truly say that I have never experienced this much emotional pain in my life.

My best friend has a brain tumor.

How do I deal with this? How do I stay strong for my best friend who needs me most right now? What happens now? I have so many questions, and absolutely zero answers.

I am at a loss of what my role is in all of this.

I am praying so hard for Breigh, and for her family right now.

I know I keep asking you guys to keep her in your thoughts and prayers, but she truly really needs this right now. I know she would love it knowing that you guys are thinking of her, and I really appreciate how thoughtful you all are. I love each and every one of you guys. Really.

-Haley

june.

june is full of birthdays and sweet treats. concerts and bubble tea. days made up completely of frozen pizzas and lifetime movies. grandma nights and biffy nights. spending full days with blake. praising God for the miracle He's worked in Breigh lately*. finding a new job and trying to not complain too much.

this month will be a long one. and an interesting one.

i have one month left of being a teenager. it's pretty surreal and i'm not quite ready to be able to say i'm in my 20s.

xo haley

* breigh went to the eye doctor for a normal eye exam, and couldn't see out of her left eye (for the most part). after looking at her eye, the dr. said that her left optic nerve was pinched, which mainly only happens when you have a stroke. after going to the hospital, they have decided she most likely did have a stroke the last time she passed out (passing out is a common side effect of her kidney disease). i think at one point, they had thought she might have a brain tumor, but i'm not sure if they've developed that idea any further. anyways, her mother announced via facebook, that breigh can see out of her left eye again. God has been so good to her, and her family lately. its scary having this happen to your best friend, and dealing with a possible brain tumor is not a cool feeling at all. although she can see again, this was just a small little mountain, and there are probably many more to come. so please continue to pray for my best friend. we'd both appreciate it. ♥

Today is For..

Today is for this.

I woke up not too long ago, did a few things to clean up around the house, and now I'm about to take a shower & go to the gym.

It's grandma night, and these days, the photo above shows what Grandma Night is all about (as of lately, at least). Grandma has book club tonight, I'm pretty sure, which means Grandpa and I are on our own for dinner, which means we're either getting pizza or McDonalds. Healthy choices.

Blake comes back tomorrow. I'm so, so, so excited. These past few days have gone by sooo slowly, but I've tried to fill them with work & hanging out with Breigh. It's worked a little bit. :/

I hope your Monday isn't so bad, and its full of pretty weather!

I'm gonna go work hard at the gym & reward myself with a frozen strawberry lemonade at mcdonalds (seriously, have you had one of those? AMAZING).

Have a wonderful day! I'll see you tomorrow! ♥

-Haley

Friday Favorite & Various Other Thoughts

This song:

and this song:

-I have to work today, but I'm heading back over to Breigh's as soon as I'm done there. I think she's doing fine, a lot of it is just emotional stuff now. The poor girl, everything is happening all at once. :(

So, we're spending tonight together, and even planning a Biffy Night for next weekend (we want to see Bridesmaids a lot!)

-I have 3 more days of school! Next week is just reviewing for finals, and then all of my finals are on that next Tuesday. I'm so excited to finally be done with this semester. It's lasted way too long.

-I've been looking through my closet, and I feel like I have absolutely nothing to wear to Elsie's wedding. Haha, I feel silly for thinking that, but it's true! So I think a little shopping trip next weekend is in order.

-Blake just informed me that the Home Alone house is for sale. I want it.

-Oh, and... Regarding the Anonymous comments towards my boyfriend: The first one I received (last week, I think), was probably the nicest/edging on a smidge rude comment ever! It sounds exactly like something Breigh would say to me during one of our late night girl talk therapy sessions. Haha. But, I took whatever Anon had to say into consideration, because whoever this person is, did their best to explain what they meant. And then yesterday, I received an extremely rude Anon comment regarding Blake, yet again. I'm sorry, but... this is my blog. I will talk about my boyfriend as much as I want! If that bothers you, stop reading! I don't want to seem rude about it, but he is my boyfriend, he is the man I intend on marrying... I am going to talk about him a lot.

With that said..

-Dear Boyfriend, come home now. :)

xo Hay

Life.

Happy Birthday, Milo!

this little boy is a week old today! i got to meet him last tuesday, and i'm so excited to go see him again. i'm praying that he keeps getting stronger, and that he'll get to go home sooner than the doctors expect. he's so precious. i can't wait to hold him.

This is how I spent my Sunday afternoon:

Miss Breigh has been in the hospital (same one as Mr. Milo, too. haha) since last Wednesday. I stayed the night with her on Tuesday, and she complained of having trouble breathing. She went to the doctor on Wednesday and was immediately admitted. In case you don't know, Breigh has Gitelman Syndrome, which effects her kidneys, and causes sodium, magnesium, chloride and potassium to pass right through her system.

Well, Wednesday, they did her normal blood tests (she does them every other week or so), and her magnesium & potassium were very low, as well as her blood pressure.

I kind of avoided going to see her at first (bad friend award, i know. i just really don't like hospitals), but I finally went to see her on Sunday, and spent a good chunk of the day with her. I really, really love my best friend. She got the okay from both of her doctors to go home today, but, today she is feeling worse than she has since she was admitted. So please keep her in your prayers today as she goes home. :)

Thank you so much!

I hope you have a wonderful Monday. I'm just hanging out in my pajamas, looking for a movie to rent, and deciding what I want for lunch. Not an easy task I tell you.

xo Haley

Friday Favorite:

this girl!

She comes home today!! I miss her so much and I'm so excited to see her tonight (hopefully..)

I'm sorry for my poor blogging habits lately.

I've been so sick, it's awful. I've had a sore throat since Monday night, and I've been trying absolutely everything to make it feel better, but nothing seems to be working. To make matters worse, I am SO hungry. I can't swallow anything because it hurts so much! Momma made me soup on Wednesday night, and I couldn't even eat that!

But, it is *slowly* getting better, thank goodness.

Blogging will go back to normal soon, I hope. :(

xo Haley

biffy*night

i love this girl a lot.

she just got her gall bladder removed. go breigh!

:)

xo. haley

bestfriendnight

i stayed the night with colby.

we stayed up until 4 am or so.

i finished an entire painting.

we slept in until 11.

and now we're going christmas shopping.

that is all.

xo. haley

Cassie is back.

And you know what that means.

Crazy girls night, where we intend on doing certain things, like watching movies, and painting, but we end up just talking about random crap, and crying. we're such girls.

we also made a midnight trip to walmart for the following items:

cream puffs, sparkling grape juice, microwave dinners, mini ice cream boxes.

I'm pretty sure it was a good night. I can't remember details... except that she told me that I'm bad at relationships & she's always right. Oh, and her mom called and woke us up at 5, I told her I wanted to take my clothes off because I felt like I was going to have a heart attack.

Silly.

-Haley

I actually have useful things to say this time around.

update: Breigh is now home, and doing amazing. When they looked over her bloodwork again, they could find nothing wrong, and everything was back to normal, she says the doctors couldn't explain it. Truly, truly a miracle. Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. :)

Sometimes I find myself blogging with absolutely zero purpose at all, just because I feel like I have to.

But right now, I have something specific to write about.

My best friend Breigh is the most wonderful person I know.

She is one of the most strong-willed girls I know. Especially for her age. I don't know many girls that can and will defend their faith the way that she does. She is a constant source of inspiration to me. Breigh and I are just about as different as two friends can come. She's super into pink & People magazine, while I am into crafts & music (we do, however, share this amazing love for all things Lil Wayne & Beyonce). I think the things that make us different are the things that make us best friends.

We've been best friends since I can remember, and I can't ever see us not being friends. I love her so, so much.

Right now, I just ask you to pray for my best friend. She has been admitted to the hospital for a low white blood cell count. A little over a year ago, she was diagnosed with Gitelman Syndrom, which is a kidney disease. I've been right by her side every step of the way, and I hate seeing what her illness is doing to her. She's a beautiful, beautiful girl, too young to be dealing with something like this. I just ask that you stop and just think about her for a few minutes. I would greatly appreciate it. :)

I love you Breebee. Lets be biffys forever. :)

xo. Haley

november 5.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 26: Family.

This is the most current picture I have with my entire family. We get together as often as we can, but we only take pictures together at Christmas. Haha:)
30 Days of Truth: Day 15: Someone you can't live without, because you've tried.

This boy:


A few years back, we tried the whole not-being-friends thing.. and it didn't work at all. We didn't talk/hang out for a month. We made it one month. After that, our friendship just got better. We got over our "differences" and continued our awesome friendship. And since we are both bloggers at heart, we had to blog apologies, too.. haha Read his & mine.

Oh - and - by the way...

Happy Guy Fawkes Day.

I was reading about this "holiday" the other day, and it said that Guy Fawkes Day in the UK is not what it used to be, and Halloween is slowly replacing it. Let me just say.. Halloween is not nearly as cool as celebrating the dude that tried to blow up parliament but failed. For real.

xoxo Hay

playing catch up

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 21: picture of yourself.

This is one of the more recent photos...

Day 22: Favorite city.
I will always love New York. and someday, I will live there.

30 Days of Truth: Day 10: Someone you wish you didn't know.

....I'm going to skip this one.

Day 11: Something people compliment you on the most.

My eyes & smile. Always. I also hear that I look like Mandy Moore..? I don't see it.

This is an old picture of me - almost 2 years old. But I love it - and my collarbones. Haha:)

Halloween!

I never ever do anything special for Halloween. Generally, it is my least favorite "holiday." But this year, I went to a fuuun costume party with some friends (Colby was Frankenstein & Blake was a mummy. It was just about the cutest ever). Lots and lots of fun :)

I hope your Halloween was a fun one too:)

-haley