word to yo motha

 i kind of went picnik crazy with the above banner. but i can't help it, i love when they get new designs.

anywho.

mothers day shout out.

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dear mama,

happy mother's day. you are the best, really.

i think it may be because i've been out of the house for almost ten months now...but whatever the reason, i am coming to appreciate you (and dad, and tap, and kate) a lot more. you have always been there for me no matter what. have always given me, and alex and tucker, all of your love, support, and understanding. even at times when we didn't deserve it. can anyone say 'junior year of high school'?!

you aren't just my mom, but also my friend. 

we get stoked about meeting justin timberlake, shop together, craft, gossip about celebrity baby names, watch HGTV, cry, and laugh so hard until we cry and or pee in our pants together.

just kidding about the last one...maybe.

you were there for me when i fell and skid across the asphalt, busting my chin open in second grade.

you were also there when alex dropped the magnum flashlight on my head, busting my forehead open in fourth grade...and while i had my head glued back together.

you were there when i cried over boys in highschool.

there when i was failing a class.

and most recently, you were there when i needed to be driven to the airport so i could fly halfway across the world to a place i didn't know, with people i'd never met.

you were always there, and you still always are.

you have showed me so much in this world and we have seen so much together. i'm so grateful for everything you have done and continue to do, despite any set backs life has given you, and ultimately, us.

i dream of one day being the mother you are, to my own littles.

 (i'd like to call this collage: the many haircolors of hayley...)

i love you mama.

i love that you were able to come visit and we went to amsterdam together.

i love our mother daughter bond, and really love that i don't have to share it with anyone else.

selfish? nope.

just an only daughter thing.

i love that you and i share a love for all things worldly, and i can't wait to do more traveling together.

let's do uruguay next!

i'm so lucky to call you my mom.

xoxo

love, hayley elizabeth.

this is from one of my favorite john mayer songs.

i made it pretty for all of the mamas out there.

if you want, feel free to take one for yourself.

it's original size from picnik is 2000x2000, but you can do it however you'd like.

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not only do i have the best mom ever, i'm lucky enough to have an amazing step mom as well.

there are a lot of people who can't say that,

lots of patchwork families that don't mesh well. but i really lucked out in the step parent department, and i know how lucky i am.

so also,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, KATE!!!

you've been so great and loved alex, tucker, and myself as your own, and are a wonderful mom to jackson!

love, hayles

...pretty sure i spelled bolibaka wrong...SORRY DAD!

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happy mama's day to all of the beautiful mama's out there.

you guys freaking rock!

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if anyone needs an ecard for a mom in their life, here are some wonderful ideas:

perfect for step-mama's

 perfect for those who play favorites

 perfect for meghan and megan, 

mom's who love trashy tv as much as i do.

 perfect for mom's who are tired of paying for shit.

inappropriate, yet perfect for my mother who wouldn't want me to share the story on the interweb while it's so fresh...so i wont. 

'cuz i'm nice like that. and it's mother's day. but one day, MOM, i will tell the story of how my child ended up with the nickname snatch as a fetus...

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word to your mother.

xoxoxo, hay.

tweet.

i got a twitter.

and i'm not sure how i feel about it.

but you can follow me if you want to...

[is that what i'm supposed to say?!]

wahhh, i'm so lost.

i'll get the hang of it some day...

a weekend in berlin.

last weekend, the whole family drove east to berlin for the cousins holy communion.

we stayed in a hotel in the same building as the fam's flat, and enjoyed walking around all day saturday.

we explored the "neues museum", or "new museum" which housed the current egyptian exhibit.

we also wandered around the nice shopping areas and artsy bits of town...the best parts, duh.

all of the photos were taken on my iphone since my beloved canon point and shoot broke.

yes, it is dreadfully tragic.

i loved that camera.

but, the best mom in the whole entire world freaking bought me a new one and is sending it my way!

yes, yes, you can be jealous she isn't your mom. 

and no, i'm not spoiled. i'll be dishing out a lot of moolah for my dream DSLR the second i get back stateside.

my mom just rocks, that's all.

i love berlin.

really, really love it there. when i was there on the grad trip almost four years ago, i adored it.

it is full of culture, full of history (of course, c'mon now), full of art, and full of things to do.

it's a huge city, but one worth visiting for sure.

if you haven't already.

  that's my dream vintage vespa...drool.

 some crazy/cute boys + a lovely little lady decked out in her holy communion best.

 group shot.

 family shot.

 oma + opa shot.

pretty rolling green hills on the drive back.

ich liebe dich, berlin!

photo essay: st.andrews

warning: you are about to OD on pictures.

but whatever, it's how i roll. i love photography and you're here right, so you probably like it too.

anyway, st. andrews.

the small, quiet, seaside town full of history, and beauty.

st. andrews completely took my breath away. from the castle, university, old course, beach, and charming cemetery, i was in heaven/hooked.

it is super laid back and serene, yet young and spirited.

i definitely would not mind studying there for a semester .

 the doors.

most of them painted some form of green or blue, reflecting the seaside, i assume.

charming, none the less...

 the gorgeous cemetery overlooking the ocean.

more on that below...

 sandy toes+blue skies=happy girl.

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 swilcan bridge & the road hill bunker at the old course.

"here we lie in a horizontal position. like a ship laid up, stripped of her sail and rigging"

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that is a real street name.

 part of the church next to the university

 i loved walking around in all of the golf history and culture. 

i knew so much about it from my dad, which made it even better.

plus, i just love golf in general, so that was all good. 

you should probably be a fan if you are going to st. andrews.

beautiful architecture.

standing on the 18th.

 i LOVE the vintage feel on this photo.

i played around with cross processing and saturation levels, and it is so reminiscent of vintage gold stills hanging around in pubs throughout st. andrews.

 major sun that day...i got burned.

worth it.

here i am talking to my dad on the phone.

telling me about his trip in st. andrews years before.

that was really cool to have a conversation with him, him knowing exactly where i was standing.

beautiful stained glass windows in the church.

 the university grounds.

++++++++++++

this next batch is all from the beautiful cemetery.

i am completely charmed by cemeteries, and have never been afraid. 

i think they are breathtaking, especially old ones full of headstones dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries.

amazing font!

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i really love this next photo:

 can you see what i see?

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a skull!

"eeeee-rooooo-sioooonn"

that's for my dad and brothers...

 storm clouds cover the sunset over the old course.

and i will leave with this beautiful shot.

lighting is lovely.

xo, hay