AfterLight

The new AfterLight (formerly AfterGlow) "instant film" textures and frames are everything. I am doing my best to refrain from using them on every single thing I put on Instagram.
I think the app itself is free, it comes with different editing tools and free filters. To unlock the 5 new filters you have to "like" their Facebook page, and then to unlock the new Instant Film features it costs 99 cents... WELL WORTH IT, my friends. Seriously.

Anywho, just doing the common courtesy of letting you know the greatest thing ever invented for the iphone.

xo Haley

ps. Since Google Reader is going away (wtf, google) be sure to follow on BlogLovin! I use this app on my phone all. the. time. Except lately, it's been a real stupid head and won't open (seriously, it kicked me off the app seven times last night before it would let me open it)! Get that fixed, BlogLovin people!

Old habits

Remember that one time when I decided I was going to be a ~*fashion blogger? I've been thinking on taking it back up lately. Not seriously, of course, but just for fun. Even if it's just via Instagram! I enjoy documenting the days I dress up because, let's be honest, I don't get dressed up that often.

I'm a nanny. I'm running around & playing on the floor with 4 kids most days!

I might follow through with this... we shall see. But in the mean time! Here are a few of my favorites from my old blog! 

Sigh, the good old days!
I'm also currently missing my short hair. Such a bad thing to be thinking about! I have a wedding coming up, I need long hair! I can't make any promises that I won't come back from my honeymoon with shoulder length hair... just saying.

Happy Monday!
xo H

Colby Kern Photography

My best friend is a genius photographer. He has such an imagination, and creativity that is hard to find these days. As I've been watching Romeo + Juliet this afternoon (some of our favorite BFF songs come from its soundtrack, of course), I've become increasingly nostalgic about my high school years, which were the good old days of weekly photo shoots and the like with Mr. Colby. I thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos we've taken together. :)

These photos are my absolute favorites. We were having a slumber party at his house and sometime around 10 or 11 we decided that I would get all dressed up, throw on some red lipstick and we would take photos in the guest bedroom while listening to Shiny Toy Guns and Madonna. It was probably the best night ever. Impromptu photo sessions are the greatest!

Seriously though. Colby is magnificent, and such a good friend. He's launching some blog changes this week, so go check it out. He's the cutest gay best friend I could ever ask for!
I love you so much, best friend! xo H

Thankful

Thankful for pretty weather, afternoons spent on DIY projects, and the fact that it is now March and Big Momma's still sells apple cider.
Extremely thankful that my parents' marriage is better than ever, that God never ceases to surprise me, that He can make friendships out of the most interesting situations.
And at this moment, I'm most grateful for a fiance that runs out to get me a root beer float from Andy's during a thunder storm, and then comes back to watch Pride & Prejudice (the A&E miniseries, at that). Blake, you are the greatest.

I'm blessed beyond measure and I'm excited for the months to come.
Excited for new friendships, for visits from far away friends, for bettering my relationship with Christ.
I'm excited to read books that I've been putting off for far too long, to spend more time with Blake, and I'm way excited for Spring Break because that means I don't have to be at work until 8 am. :)

By the way, if you are in the Springfield area on Easter, I'd love for you to be my guest at High Street! Last Easter, the worship band covered Paradise by Coldplay and I will forever regret missing that!

Hopefully your Saturday has been well spent! I'm happy to report mine was! (We saw The Last Exorcism Part II today. It was by no means a great movie... not even a good one! The first was so much better, even with the overdone found footage format. But this one? Nope. Not worth your time, I tell you! I knew I should've gone to see the new Oz movie... ha!)

xo Haley

mushy.

Photo by The Lensmen at our friends' wedding last summer!

I'm not the best at showcasing how I feel sometimes. I'm much better at keeping all those feelings bottled up, only for me to know and dwell on (unless your name is Breigh Wilson, you probably don't know how I'm feeling 97% of the time). 

This is one of the hardest things I've had to deal with while being in a serious relationship. I'm not a serious person - I don't like saying, "I love you." I'd much rather say, "you're cool and I could live with you forever" than say the L-word.

Over the past few months, as our wedding date slowly creeps up on us, I've started to realize just how much I truly love this guy. I almost feel sorry for him, for how much he puts up with - I'm not an easy person to deal with most days! I put him through the ringer; always asking him to do things for me, never really saying "I love you," when I probably should, I don't really do things for him "just because," and I probably really come off as ungrateful most of the time. It's something I'm working on. 

But I love Blake. A lot. Kind of like those times when you're like, "how did I make it this long without this person?!" (I also feel that way about dried peaches, but that's another thing entirely.) 

All this to say, I love this person like a lot, and I'm going to be his wife in 204 days. I'm really, really excited. Also, scared. But more excited, I think. 

Looking at this picture, I'm getting really excited about our own wedding photos. Our engagement pictures are next month (!!!), and I've been scouring the internet for the perfect outfit. We are playing around with different ideas for our photos including breakfast, gardens, and our favorite mouse... ;) We are lucky to have a wonderful pal as our photographer who is willing to incorporate our obsession love for Disney! She's seriously a sweetheart!

I cannot wait for the photos to be done so I can share them here! 

March.

Here we are, 7 days into March. Next week is Spring Break for the kiddos... I can hardly believe it.

March is full of a million birthdays (actually, only three), hopefully a trip to Silver Dollar city (nerd alert, I love SDC), booking our honeymoon, rescheduling engagement pictures (because Blake is going on a retreat with my dad the weekend we originally planned on!), dates with Breigh, relaxing on Saturdays because I'm way too stressed for my own good.
March is a busy month, but at the same time - it's just filled with little things that make each week a happy one. So all in all, I definitely can't complain.

In honor of this month, I've made a playlist. (Can I make this a monthly thing? I'm thinking yes.)
It's full of songs that remind me of spring + it's the playlist I'm using this month at Red Velvet! Double win.
 Can't wait to share my summer playlist, though... I'm pretty sure it consists of only Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom. ;)
Happy Thursday! The weekend is almost here! Tomorrow I'm planning on a lady date with the BFF after work at Red Velvet and then Saturday, Blake and I are having a stay inside the house date (complete with me making dinner, holla!). Hoping I won't have to get out of my pajamas for that one!  xo Haley 
ps. next month is going to be the best month ever: Color Run, Claire & @teendoll are coming to visit for a weekend, and then Color Me Rad. Two 5Ks?! Am I crazy?! ;)  pps. emily maynard is now a blogger. I have loved her a creepy stalker amount since she was on The Bachelor, and now she has a beauty/fashion blog... I can tell I'm obsessed already. #restrainingorder? #notafunnyjoke...

On doing things myself.

I think the thing that has stressed me out the most throughout the planning process thus far is my lack of help, outside of my mom and a few other folks. I'll admit, I'm the worst at delegating tasks to people - and, for lack of a better term, I'm a bit anal about things being done a certain way.

Just the same as how I didn't think I could pull off the wedding of my dreams if it wasn't at Miss Gilmore's, I don't think I can pull it off if I don't do every single detail myself.
And that is where I'm wrong. I know I need to loosen the reins and just let people help me, but it seems that even when I mention that I need help, or I say, "hey, I need your opinion on this," I'm usually ignored. I don't like that feeling. Did I do something wrong? Am I already being a bridezilla to my friends and family? What am I doing wrong?

I make list after list of things that need to be done now, things that can wait until this summer; who can help with the DIY stuff, who can help setting up, etc. And I'm left wondering, do they even want to help? I have chosen the best bridesmaids (and bridesgaybff) in the world. They are the ones that I know are there for me through thick and thin. But with two living 3+ hours away, one who is either working or at school, and one who doesn't ever text me back... what am I supposed to do, other than assume that I am basically on my own?

I'm grateful for my friends, my family, and all those who I know will help when it comes down to the wire. But as for the past 10 months that I have been engaged, I'm feeling very alone in this whole process. And for someone who has never been involved in planning a wedding, I'm way in over my head and I don't know what to do.
Hashtag freaking out.

Here's where I say thank you to my mom for always letting me bounce ideas off of her, even when she probably doesn't have time to text back and forth. And even when she doesn't like my ideas.