a few things...

some things have been going on lately.

not super exciting, but life.

my parents had a joint fiftieth birthday party after christmas.

dancing was had by all.

i've been painting my nails a lot and trying to be fun with my hair.

yes. i'm blogging about braids.

i've also been taking pictures of my outfits, and realizing that i basically wear the same thing everyday.

over sized tank, cardigan, and skinny jeans.

yay for red jeans though, i love them.

i left my retail job [finally] for a [way] better opportunity [more on that farther down] and found this moustache in a package. i took it home.

tucker came home for christmas break, we have a mice problem in our tract home, and i'm still working through the help.

my brother, tucker, and i have such conversations in the middle of the night. obviously we only like our own beds for sleeping. i found the dress while shopping with my mom but didn't want to pay fifty dollars because, a. i'm broke, and b. i didn't really need it. but i thought about it all week and mama brought it home for me. i love it. i've also been sporting my earrings that were gifted to me from santa, they're from this shop and i am completely obsessed. i need another pair [or ten]. i also reached 100 followers, so thank you, peeps, for being here to share my life. i guess i should post more now, huh.

january has brought with it some beautiful skies.

so, the new job: preschool. 

yes, i'm teaching again and i absolutely love it. i have awesome co-workers, families, and kids. they're adorable, i wish i could tell you all about them, but that would be illegal.

the not so great thing, this closet in my classroom that needs to be cleaned out. but instead of stressing over it, i drove to grandma's house in the bay area and she greeted me with a margarita. so thoughtful.

while in the bay i saw my oldest friend, danielle. we've been besties since first grade and brownies. that's us circa 1997 [?] and as i was driving to her house i did a drive by of my childhood home. oh, the memories.

i also took nan to restoration harware to return things and i spotted this giant scrabble board, swoon.

we found a gem of a shop where we found handmade treasures and crafting supplies from around the world after brunch at a yummy german restaurant.

looking through old photos from the forties and fifties, her high school superlatives were amazing:

'the girl most likely to give birth to a baseball team'

classic.

i've been loving this winter weather-really, and on thursday i had to meet mom for happy hour because it was just that kind of day, and all of the sudden my drink was gone.

i've been able to hang with this little [but big] brother lately. love that kid.

and another thing, something i'm upset about.

my favorite printing service has gone out of business.

it was family owned for years and they weren't able to make it in this economy. this makes me so sad and i urge you to buy locally, buy handmade, and support small businesses. i'm trying my hardest to do so and it feels so good. i was able to make one last order of small [3x3] instagram prints and some panoramic's, but i hope i can find something as a substitute. do any of you have a favorite printing service? i need recommendations.

i'm linking up with jenni for the first time. come check it out, yo.

oh heyyy.

i wish i had fabulous reasons for not blogging all month but truth be told, i have been living at work.

 this month, aside form working, i have been scrapbooking, wearing colorful tights, going to a santa claus brunch at the golf club with the family, eating chocolate from my advent calendar + broccoli/cheddar soup [i love soup weather], hung out with the bestie for a morning while she was in town, and wearing fuzzy socks [also love fuzzy sock weather]. i also have watched clueless [classic], taken vain photos of myself [highly productive], confronted my obsession with nail polish, put up purple christmas lights in my bedroom, braided my hair almost everyday due to the frizz problem that comes every winter, witnessed pretty skies, and decorated trees.

and if those weren't mundane enough things to read about, here's more:

family candyland, Glühwein [!!!], mini paintings for my bestie in germany, long lines at the post office, massive traffic [living right next to the mall is awful this time of year], and watching star wars [i cry when ani turns into darth]

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i cannot believe christmas is in five short days. i'm excited for all of my peoples to get their gifts from me so i can show all of YOU what i did. since i'm a giver like that. giving is way more fun. what are you giving your loved ones this year? i'd love to hear your ideas.

more instagramzzz

the end of november looked like this:

 fun lipstick for thanksgiving. game day, pre-turkey. silly little brother. foggy nights. long hair. pretty fall center pieces.

 pretty paper at work. silly doodles. lovely gems. and new pens!

...and my obsession with love actually.

these were taken on different days...i have an addiction, and i'm okay with that.

what are some of your favorite movies?

instagram + noviembre

I'm still baffled by the fact that it is mid-late November, depending on where you stand with that. 

 This month I...

got the new iphone 4s, have had many "dates" with the little broski, got a ton of scrapbooking done [more on that later], babysat more kiddos, and indulged in a holiday starbucks.

 I also...

woke up with crazy curly hair, witnessed some seriously beautiful skies, skyped with my favorite boy, picked up some awesome vintage books at goodwill [I promise that I am not a neo-nazi, I am just a huge WWII buff...], and I found some lovely head accessories for the next royal wedding.

And lastly I...

went to the Breaking Dawn midnight premiere with Liz, hung out with the J-man some more, saw even more pretty skies and sunsets, hit up the J. Crew outlet with mama, had trouble getting out of bed, and accidentally hit the "text to talk" button on my phone while ordering a Caesar salad. Big laughs all around.

weekending: oakland, ca + others

Like any big city, there are the good parts and the bad parts. Oakland is one of those cities. Sure, it may have terrifyingly high numbers of crime and prostitution, but it also has some gems.

With that being said...I don't like Oakland. 

My grandmother lives in a nice suburb outside of Oakland is remodeling her bathroom. So, when she asked me to come down and take her to pick out toilets, tubs, and showers [Oh, my!] I of course said yes.

The tile store really was amazing and made me wish I had a home of my own and money to decorate it. The appliance shopping however wore us out and we needed lunch. We hopped into Homeroom, a yummy spot that apparently has been featured on the food network. I don't watch the food network, so I wouldn't know.

It's decked out in school room decor. From the cute font, easel, chalkboard wall, number tables, mason jar drinks, and a menu on note paper. It really was as cute as it was delicious. They brew their own rootbeer, which my G-Ma had, and I opted for the organic lemonade and iced tea. A.k.a, an Arnold Palmer. They have wine and domestic beer on tap too. 

We sat underneath the chalkboard wall which featured an awesome mural sketch of California.

Nan ordered the classic mac-n-cheese with bacon and baked bread crumbs. I had the classic with green beans, mushrooms, and broccoli, also baked. It was so good. If you ever find yourself in the Oakland/Berkeley/Piedmont area it is incredibly worth it. Awesome food, people, and atmosphere.

I drove home that evening, since I had to work the next morning, and the normally 1.5 hour drive took 2 hours and 10 minutes thanks to the lovely Bay Area evening traffic. But, at least I had some pretty sunset views of the bay. 

+++

 And, since we're on an Instagram photo kick, here's what the rest of the weekend looked like:

Yummy salad+drinks, playing with Playmobil and in boxes with the little brother, and a pumpkin spice candle that set off the fire alarm in the middle of the night. Joyous.

Do you have Instagram? If so, come find me: seehayfly 

It is love. Just like that tile store, but better.

insta-month?

I honestly feel like I never use my camera now that I have become officially obsessed with my iphone camera apps. But, I love them.

1. swim sessions with the fam; ikea + anthro catalogues = love; new glasses.

2. mike's hard pink lemonade + gossip mags = girls' night; day trip to SF; rockin' our Getty Owl bracelets.

3. goofy little brothers; bringing out my inner architect with toy blocks; morning coffee near the pool.

4. birthday cupcakes for yours truly; birthday gift from German fam [Italian coffee maker]; birthday pedicure.

5. spilled coffee from said coffee maker; football season is upon us; my mini construction man.

+++

This month marked 8 weeks of me being home from Deutschland.

This month marked 22 years of me being alive on Earth.

This month marked 1 semester of school wasted due to my procrastination.

Lots of realizations, thinking, planning, dreaming, and mini mental breakdowns. Which fortunately all led to the conclusion that I will be moving north to Portland in January.

Dream. Come. True.

Lets just hope it works out!

Au revoir, August...you're always so good to me.

xo, Hay

Hipsta-Oregon

Last week my mom, one brother [Tucker], and I traveled up to Oregon to visit family in Portland and to take Tucker and our cousin [Gwen] to IntroDUCKtion at the University of Oregon.

 [left to right. row by row]

watch out for rattle snakes in the rest stop. my new nixon watch. highway five in northern california.

more scenery. paper star lanterns in eugene. sculpture at UO.

my lovely aunt twirling. aunt courtney + me. yellow roses.

a quaint house in eugene. us, again. hoffman[n] sign for my german fam.

my laptop got some new stickers. hotel hallway is a wee bit trashed. go ducks.

more paper lanterns. mama y yo. dr. pepper + pills.

+++

I adore Oregon and hope to move up to Portland next year for school.

Our trip to Eugene was fun too, so proud of Tucker and Gwen.

I'll post more this week.

xo, hay

Hipsta-Tahoe

We're in Portland right now, but I've still got some Tahoe to share.

We spent our time playing Apples to Apples, building towns with blocks, golfing, singing, dancing, beaching, and of course...eating.

golf.

IT'S WHAT WE DO!

seriously.

taheezi

Taheezi is what my family, mostly my littlest brother, calls Tahoe.

We are here. 

One of my most favorite places.

Here's a look into our first day:

via, hipstamatic...of course.

free fiddy free.

While in Germany, I had a bike.

She was Dutch. 

And brown.

And cute, with her cute basket and flowers.

I miss her.

+++

So, of course, I had to get a bike here in California...

Well, I was going to add one to my birthday wishlist

[seeing as I get another year older in August]

But a good family friend told me over margaritas,

[really, what else would it be over?]

that his wife has an old bike she wants to get rid of.

+++

I drove over, tested her out, and shoved her in the back of my car.

I love her, even though she is a mountain bike and will take some getting used to.

[I feel awkward on anything other than a cruiser...]

But, the best part is that she was FREE.

Now all she needs is a name.

Who has some ideas?

She's definitely a 'she' and she is black with hot pink lettering.

'Hard Rock' painted on her side.

She's light, but tough.

She needs a bad ass name.

+++

p.s. maxi dresses + havaianas = mountain bike gear...clearly.

i'm addicted to my phone.

solely for the camera apps.

my week via the iphone:

 lots of babysitting, hanging with the fam bam, world cup soccer, food, pedicure with mama...

 hanging with the little broski, new sandals...

obsessed with my new maxi skirt that can evidently be worn as a dress (score), drinking with the fam at yardhouse, paasta pomodoro left overs, my cute cousins in suits, and athlete crush dirk at the espy's.

+++

xo, hay

fill in the blank friday.

it's friday, and i'm linking up again with lauren at the little things we do for the second week in a row.

1. The last movie I saw was: Thor, in English. I saw it in German at the theater a few weeks ago, but only understood about half. Chris Hemsworth...damn.

2. I want to: hire someone to come clean and pack my life for me because I can't seem to do it. It makes leaving Germany that much more real and I can't handle it :(

3. Surprises are: awkward. For me at least. I don't like getting surprised and when I do, I'm super awkward. I think the only surprises I like involve people bringing me 'my' exact coffee or sandwich without me asking. My love language may be food, but the verdict is still out on that one.

4. The best accessory is: confidence. I know that sounds generic and cheesy but when I feel good I love wearing hats, sunglasses, earring...I have a ton of earrings. But I also love having my nails painted. Solid or crazy patterned, doesn't matter, I instantly feel better.

5. My favorite warm drink is: coffee. But I do prefer it to be iced. I'm going to try and find Glühwein in the states and make that a "thing" during the holidays. It is joyous.

6. My favorite cold drink is: water, cranberry juice, or Arizona Iced tea. 

7. Currently loving: all of my new apps for my iphone. I went on a bit of a downloading spree last week and got things like Camera+, ESPN Score Center, NPR Music, Wall Street Journal, Discovery Chanel, Google Translate, Maplets, and some new Geography games. I am a nerd. Straight up.

   

and well, he's just a cutie pie!

happy weekending, homies.

tonight is my farewell party...i can't even believe it :(

ciao, hay

postcards + tomatoes

a few things.

one: 

loved all the responses from the last post about the tomatoes. am i right?! taste is totally different when tomatoes are raw, compared to when thrown in sauce, or soup. 

two: 

the weather last night included rain, hail, thunder, and lightening.

but today it looked like this,

three:

a while back i mentioned something about being snail mail pals.

i've done it with a few blog friends and it is so fun. i love snail mail, and getting it from family and friends at home is great, but it's super exciting getting it from blogworld friends.

so, with that being said, i only have 19 (!) days left in germany so if any of you would like a german post card, let me know and we can trade!

email me at : hejohns (at) gmail (dot) com

it's fun + worth it...promise.

especially if you are abroad too...

...or not :]

  

happy monday friends,

hay

maiwoche

this is going to be a super quick post because i have a massive migraine and want to sleep somewhere dark and cold.

wasn't that a lovely intro?

i thought so...

+++

maiwoche, or may week, is taking place right now in osnabruck, and last weekend my friend sylvia and i went downtown to meander through the festivities.

 funky, handmade treasures.

always exciting to browse the stalls of trinkets.

i chose to edit all of these photos with a vintage feel.

i love vintage carnivals.

and i love that my iphone took all of these pictures.

i'm convinced this guy was america.

 no german would wear the adidas, cargo shorts, and leather loafers combo

...maybe they would, but i haven't seen it. 

my most favorite picture.

the church, the stripes, the carousel, all wonderfully mixed together.

the may pole :)

in the old town city center.

 more bunting, maypole, churchiness.

lovely.

my choco-strawbs were super delicious.

and we went by scooter!

i was afraid at first, but now i've seen the light.

must. purchase. vintage, vespa.

+++

again, sorry for any typos and general lack of quicky-ness.

i feel like my brain is pulsating against my skull.

too much?

sorry.

but it's the life of a person with migraines,

'holla if you feel like you been down the same road.'

yes i quoted eminem, i'm so weird...mmmkkkay, bye.