things that let me know I'm home.

dates with my best friend (since 2nd grade, might I add) at our usual spot: Pete's on Augusta.

silly pictures with my sweet boyfriend.

worshiping at my Jesus at NewSpring.

lots of dinners after church to be had with my two sisters this year.

creeper faces with my Cait Cait.

Shannon and her cute little self.

baseball never stops being played and Wilber never stops getting cuter.

{I've always had a thing for pitchers.}

the sweetest kisses in the whole world.

endless chatter about God's favorite past-time being right around the courner: Clemson football.

it's good to be back. :)

drifter or stranger, father or son. I'll look for Jesus in every one.

I love how songs have the ability to reach straight into your heart and do one of two things: break it or put it back together. It really is an incredible thing. Earlier this morning, for instance, I was watching CMT and heard Toby Keith's new song, Trailerhood. I laughed for a good twenty minutes after it went off, annnnnd now that I'm thinking about it again, the laughter is back. Even ridiculous songs (in all their brilliance) have power over our thoughts, make us laugh, and that laughter, in some unexplainable way, helps mend our hearts.

Then there are the songs that break them. Or do a little breaking and mending at the same time. I heard a song for the first time today that did just that. The Twenty-First Time by Monk & Neagle. If you haven't heard it, you need to. If you have, then I want to encourage you to listen to it again. I have to remind myself daily to die to my yucky, sinful tendencies. Not just for my own good, but for the good of everyone around me. I'm a hypocrite, and I make and break promises all the time. I mess up and let people that I love down. I ignore the calling of God in my life. I see opportunities and don't take them. I fear things that can't hurt me, and I let silly things steal my good moods.

But I trust in the power of the almighty Savior who died so I could live, not a life that I just barely survive through, but one in which I can thrive and grow and learn and make a difference. I have hope and love and confidence in the One who conquered death. How selfish would I be if I kept that to myself? If I am the body and I drink of the wine, then it is my calling to go out into the world and share the love of Christ with it. How many excuses do I have to make before I'm finally convicted of my disobedience? What will it take for me to love the world in the same way that I claim to love Jesus?

Learn from my mistakes of yesterday, love people as best as I can today, and be thankful there's more than the twenty-first time to love them even better. Love. That's what I want to be known for. That's what I want my legacy to be.

"mom, I don't do that anymore!" well, ladies and gentlemen, P. Sawyer does.

Today was our last day in Wilmington for a while. Booooo. I always hate leaving that place, and this time was even sadder since we had so many incredible memories added to our tally this week! Just like there's something in the hills of Clemson that keeps drawing me back, there's also something in Wilmington that keeps me wanting more and more of it. Aside from all the One Tree Hill madness, I genuinely just love that place. I begin my job hunt this upcoming week and something tells me that I'll be looking for something in that direction. :)

Onto today...we woke up, showered, and checked out of our hotel by 11 o'clock. Then we made our way to the top of one of the parking garages downtown to take some pictures of the city from the top deck. After we got some great shots and enjoyed a beautiful view, we met up with our new friends at Nikki's Sushi Bar on Front St. I seriously can't believe how nice all the people we met this time were--usually none of the fans even remotely speak to each other, and before this trip we had only met two girls who we enjoyed hanging out with and talking to (shout out to you, Treventi and Staadt!). We all got to share stories at lunch, and the crowd favorites were P. Sawyer and my encounter with James and Stephen last night. Just in case you're wondering, I am still giddy today. I was on cloud nine before all that happened...now I'm on like cloud 392753895702710239847. But seriously, it was really great to get to know so many incredible girls! It was especially hard to tell Lena, Maria, and Laura bye today because the five of us got the closest out of everyone. I won't ever forget those girls, that's for sure!

all the OTH girls! :)

After lunch, we went to my very first farmer's market! We got there right as everything was shutting down (dangy), but we were able to purchase one thing: we both bought our very first bottles of wine. Strange? Oh yes. And why is that? Well, that's an easy one--I hate wine. I've tried it on several occasions and I've never been able to take more than a few sips because it's been so terrible. This muscadine wine, on the other hand, was absolutely delicious! For only $10, it was a steal that we couldn't pass up. I can't wait to pop open the bottle and have my first glass of wine that I will actually enjoy! YAY!

excited for my first farmer's market. yay!

Next up, we went to Kilwin's to get some ice cream and ended up taking home a bucket souvenir--saweeeeeet! My Wilmington Mud flavored ice cream hit the spot (fo sho!), and P. Sawyer thoroughly enjoyed her mint chocolate chip flavor, too. We looooooooove us some Kilwin's! We met up with Adrienne and Mama Karen for a few minutes to say our farewells, and then left downtown to begin our 5-hour trip back to Gvegas. First pit-stop of the journey home: a visit to the rivercourt, of course! We walked around, took a few pictures, said "see ya later" to our favorite place on the planet, and then continued on our way.

I love ice cream and...wine? welp, I've turned a new leaf, ladies and gentlemen!

happy anniversary to us being in Wilmington!

Second pit-stop of the day: Rush's in Columbia for dinner. The best part? MICHAL MET US THERE! Heck yes! This was also P. Sawyer's first time eating at Rush's (can you believe that?) and it was a wonderful success. Yippeeeeeee! We finally arrived back at the house around 9:15 p.m., hung out with the family for a bit, told a few of our favorite stories, and now we're laying in bed. P. Sawyer is chatting it up with Melissa right now, and it is SUCH a blessing to hear that girl's voice. I cannot WAIT to see her on Monday night! And p.s. did I mention that Will loves P. Sawyer? Well, he does. And I love that he does! They bonded over youtube videos tonight, and it was absolutely precious. Bless them!

two of the BEST friends a girl could EVER ask for. <3

Tomorrow is going to be VERY exciting, too. That's because I get to start my day off with P. Sawyer, continue it with breakfast with my best friend since the second grade (I love you, Ellybeth!), hang out with my Scooterboot all day afterwards, and then hopefully Melly will let me have another slumber party at her and Liz's apartment. YAY! And thennnnnn on Monday, I get to hang out with Scooterboot some more, and then the grand finale to the two-day fiasco...REUNITED WITH MY SMALL GROUP! YESSSSS! I am so excited to see their beautiful faces after four months of barely surviving without them!

Welp, that concludes my Wilmington tales for a few weeks. That's right, we will be going back as soon as we're able to! DEFINITELY for P. Sawyer's birthday weekend, but hopefully we'll be able to squeak a trip in before then, too. Fingers crossed!

My bed is calling my name. And I'm, without a doubt, so ready to answer that call. Goodnight from a girl who has way more blessings in her life than she could even begin to deserve. :)

I'm never washing my hand again. never.

As I write these words, my heart is exploding with joy and excitement and the best kind of shock I've ever experienced. Before I jump right in and tell you why, I'll start from the beginning. Lucky for you, P. Sawyer and I slept half the day away, so there isn't too much to tell about today's adventures. I didn't know I was even capable of sleeping past 9 o'clock anymore, but waking up at 11:30 this morning reminded me that all things are possible. It's a good thing we were well-rested for such a wonderful day! :)

We began our day by eating lunch at the Dixie Grill with Adrienne and her mom (who we named Karen, because it was totally appropriate for our circumstances). We had our usual turkey wrap and sweet potato fries and even saw Steve-ooooo working back on the grill again. Saweeeeeet! After lunch we strolled around Front St. for a while and went into a couple of the stores. I made a few purchases (oh, brother), and then we went on our merry way back to the hotel for a couple of hours.

we love us some Steve-oooo!

oh, P. Sawyer, we've gotten so, so close over the years.

America's Funniest Home Videos and Cheaper by the Dozen 2 were on tv, so flipped back and forth between them while lazily relaxing on our king size bed (as if we hadn't slept enough the night before). Just a couple of rich kids, we know. Once we had all but killed ourselves laughing at all the craaaazy videos they were showing, we freshened up our faces and headed back downtown for the evening. First up: meeting up with Adrienne, Karen (oh yes!), Lena, Maria, and Laura for the Bibis Ellis concert on the riverwalk. She was actually INCREDIBLE on stage, and you can bet that I will be listening to her music for a looooong time. Do yourself a favor and look her up! :)

my sweet, sweet friends and me at the Bibis Ellis concert.

We left the concert after a little while and grabbed a late dinner at the Front Street Brewery, one of our favorite spots, if you couldn't already tell. :o) Dinner was yummy and we all had a super fun time just hanging out and stuffing our faces. After dinner, we walked up Front St. and ended up running into some of the other girls we had met at CoB filming yesterday. We have made SO many new friends this trip in comparison with others. There's about 15 of us that constantly run into each other at different times during the day, and it's been so much fun seeing them out! Actually, tomorrow we are all going to an early lunch at Nikki's Sushi (thank goodness Catheter and Shell Station broke me in last week!) for a little farewell date. While everyone else is traveling back to Switzerland, France, Germany, and Canada, P. Sawyer and I will be making the 5-hour trek back to good ole' Greenville. And we thought we were hardcore. Yeah, maybe not.

such a great group of girls!

Princess and 4th. That's our spot. Our glorious spot. That's the exact location that P. Sawyer and I have seen James three out of the four nights we've been out. Holy moses, batman! Unfortunately, tonight we were with our huuuuuge group of girls and most of them took off in a sprint to catch up with he and Stephen to get pictures. P. Sawyer, Adrienne, and I stayed back and let them enjoy themselves. I seriously am still on cloud nine from Tuesday night, and I'm pretty positive that it's going to be like this for quuuuuuuite some time. Espeeeeecially after my encounter with him tonight. And yes, I would LOVE to elaborate! Heeeeere we go:

So we went into The Calico Room around 11ish to get a couple drinks. We made this executive decision when we passed by and saw James standing at the bar. We debated on just going back to our hotels without dropping in, but there's no way I could have lived with myself if I had passed up an opportunity to stand beside him in a casual setting...so, in we went! Once Adrienne and I got our drinks, we walked over to stand by P. Sawyer, who was sitting next to and chatting it up with Stephen. Yes, Stephen Colletti, who was also standing beside James, who was talking to a few people with a Corona in his hand. I think this is a good time to let Teeesh know something: boyfriend, I hope you like Coronas, because the only beer you're allowed to drink from here on out is that. I'm just sayin'. ;)

While we were standing at the bar, I was trying my absolute best not to make eye contact with him or even look in his direction. As much as people think I'm a stalker, I'm really quite the opposite. If it wasn't for strong-willed people, such as P. Sawyer, in my life, I'd never go near any of them, especially not the one I have a secret (well, only to him) crush on! Okay, back to the story...while I was standing at the bar, I was laughing at something either Adrienne or P. Sawyer said, looked away (still laughing), and when I was turning my head back toward them, I glanced up at James. And what did I do? Oh, well no big deal, but I caught him looking at me. ME. I almost threw up. And when he smiled at me once I made eye contact, I REALLY almost threw up. Whew, now THAT was a doozy!

Before we left the bar (for good), I went to use the restroom. When I walked back there, Stephen was talking to three other people in the corner, and one of the guys talking with the four of them asked me and the other girl who was waiting for the bathroom if we would use the men's restroom because they "need the light in the women's restroom because they're doing an investigation." Hmmmm. Curious as I was, I withheld my desire to eavesdrop, and shamelessly entered the men's bathroom. Fyi, men are gross. That restroom was like a pig pen! Bleckkkkk!

Okay, so here comes the best part of the night (and maybe of my entire life)...when I left the restroom, I got stuck behind some crazy guy who was kicking his leg up and down in the hallway. Once the roadblock moved out of my way, I continued on my journey back to the table where the girls were sitting. I wasn't paying much attention to what was going on around me as I walked, but the moment I looked up, there was James, quickly approaching my direction. Here's a play-by-play (mostly because I love telling this story!!!!!): he was looking at me, he looked away when I looked up, he looked back at me and gave me the cutest little smile, sheepishly said "hey!", I gave him a big cheese and replied with another "hey!", my right hand brushed his left hand as we passed each other, I got all flustered, turned the corner to find all the girls staring at me with their mouths wide opened, I sat down and smiled for the rest of the night. Oh wait, I'm still smiling. :-D I keep replaying it over and over again in my head. How is it possible for one person to make so many people act so crazy when they get around them? Because this girl is definitely guilty of melting every single time James comes into view. I don't get quite as weak in the knees when I see him as I do when I see Teesh, but it's pretty near close. ;)


This entire trip has been one HECK of a time. From having so many run-ins with the cast to meeting so many wonderful new friends over the course of these past four days, this trip has definitely been my favorite so far. Hales and P. Sawyer do Wilmington, take FOUR has been an outrageous success, and I wouldn't have wanted anyone else by my side through it all. Partner in crime. Soul mate. One of the best friends a girl could ever ask for. Yepp, that's my P. Sawyer. And I love her more than words could ever say. :)


Tomorrow is our last day (booooo!), and I'm already so sad to leave. There's just something about being here that makes me so happy. Even aside from all the OTH madness, I just honestly love Wilmington. Everything about it makes me want to move here and never leave. Teeeesh even asked me if I had found him a job up here yet when I talked to him on the phone earlier, and there is no way to describe the hugeness of my smile that quickly followed hearing those words come out of his mouth. I would love to live here and raise a family here...good thing we're on the same page, huh? :) I can't wait to bring him here and see if he falls in love with it just like I did last August.


For the last time (for a few weeks, at least), I tell you goodnight from Wilmington, one of the quaintest and beautiful places on the face of the earth. I'm going to hate to leave tomorrow, but I know that our fifth and final day will be filled with more blessings, just like the previous ones have been. Can't wait to tell you all about them tomorrow! :)

epic (adj): very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary.

Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. Epic. That was our day. Everything about it was so incredibly EPIC that I literally just pinched myself to make sure I am really here. It'll be impossible for me to get it all out in words, but I'm going to do my veeeery best. Ready....GO!

So we woke up early again this morning, ate our yummy continental breakfast (no waffle for me, bleck!), and headed over to the bridge in hopes to catch some filming. We saw Sophia and Joy get into their vans and be taken to the other side of the bridge, but didn't get a chance to meet them--those little sneaky snakes were gone before we even noticed. We did, however, meet quite a few fans who were super nice, which is sometimes a rare commodity. There were five exceptions, but that's another story that isn't even worth thinking about, much less telling. Us girls can be so fickle and unpleasant sometimes!

what would I do without my P. Sawyer?

Once we realized that Joy and Sophia were gone, we immediately went to Clothes Over Bros for the filming of the next few scenes. Five hours in the blistering heat with little to no shade was quite the test of patience and determination. Good thing we had our Dale, Jr. chairs set up with a perfect view of the entrance and exit of the actors, a super fun group of girls to pass the time with, Port City Java to keep us energized, and (my favorite part!) RUSSELL occasionally popping in to chat for a while. He remembered us from December when we came, which absolutely MADE my day, because we seriously talk about him all the time! He sat down in P. Sawyer's chair and we chatted about racing (and my love for Kasey) for a while. We even took our relationship to the next level: he gave me his number so we would know exactly what's going on the next time we come for filming. YIPPEEEEEEE! Wait, it gets better...he slipped me his call sheet while none of the other girls were looking, too! DOUBLE YIPPEEEEEE! I am SO excited to have this call sheet because JAMES is the director of this episode (8.05), which is another reason why this trip is so epic!

love me some RUSSELL! andddd some NASCAR!

So five hours pass, and the only action we've seen so far is Joy and Sophia inside the van. And THEN out walk James, Austin, and Sophia! James and Austin waved to the crowd but immediately hopped in the van, but sweet Sophia didn't hesitate to come over to take pictures and sign autographs. I. Love. Her. Seriously! She was SO sweet and probably one of the most beautiful human beings on the planet. I definitely have a new woman crush. Don't judge me. I even brought the excited face back for my picture with her...you know, I didn't want to disappoint ya'll since I didn't do it with James, which still amazes me, by the way. Nevertheless, P. Sawyer and I got our pictures and went about our way with the biggest smiles on our faces!

she is absolutely beautiful, and I am a hot mess. nevertheless, this picture makes me SO HAPPY!

our first time seeing the door at Clothes Over Bros!

After all that action, we came back to the hotel for a little downtime. I even took me a nice, long bath. Mmmm, I love a good soakin'! We cat-napped for a couple hours, watched Soapnet, and then got ready for dinner with Lena and Maria, two of the girls we met earlier today. Lena is from Germany and Maria is from Switzerland, which is SO cool to me! I would LOVE to hide in their suitcases and let them be my tour guides for a few weeks. I'm just sayin'.

We ate dinner at The Reel Cafe, and not only did we witness a shwaaaasted old lady fall off a stool at the bar and crack her head on the cement, buttttt we also (are you ready for this?)...saw Sophia and Austin walking down the street when we were paying our bills! AHHH!!!!! All I have to say is a HUGE thank you to Jesus for blessing me with such a keen eye. I may not be the best communicator in the heat of the moment, but I can promise you that my eyes have never failed me. Attention to detail. That's me, alright! While I sat at the table waiting for the waitress to come back with our bills (no dining and dashing allowed, of course), P. Sawyer, Lena, and Maria chased after them to get their attention. I caught up with them a few minutes later and was able to get a sandwich picture between the sweet couple. Can you say HEAVEN? Because that was exaaaactly where I was! Epic. Epic. Epic. See what I mean? :-D

hey now, hey now. this is what dreeeeeams are made of.

After that AMAZING encounter, we went to The Brewery for a little while before heading back to the hotel. At this very moment, P. Sawyer and I are both completely engulfed in our documentation of this gloooooorious day. Dear whoever invented blogging--you're my favorite! :o) The only difference between me today and me when I was five is that now I broadcast my diary to the whole world instead of in my little notebook that I always kept locked. My oh my, how times have changed. For the better, of course. :)

Tomorrow, one thing is definitely for sure: WE ARE SLEEPING IN! You can bet on that one! We have been going non-stop since we got here, including waking up around sunrise each morning, and a lazy morning is exactly what we need. I am so excited, seriously.Once we get up and moving, I think we're going to try to have lunch with Adrienne and her mom. I am super excited to finally meet her! Should be another goooooooooooood day, and I can't wait. 

swing back by tomorrow night, sugababy.

First thing's first: we got our season 7 DVDs this morning! YAY! Target had three copies. And now, they only have one...they can thank us later. :) After we rode around searching for some rumored filming (which was just that--a rumor), we did a little (or a lot, depending which way you look at it) shopping on Front Street, had lunch at the Dixie Grill, and walked along the riverwalk (of course, I had to re-sign my tutor table since they wash them off every so often!).

at last, my love has come along.

Remember when I said we ate at Dixie Grill? And remember that time we met our smooooooth friend, Stevo, last August while we were sitting at the bar? Anddddddd remember that time we saw him again today? SAWEET! We were basically freaking out with excitement--so much so that we re-introduced ourselves to him...and he remembered us too! That made our stalker meter go down quite a bit (whew!), and we even got a picture with our long-time, reacquainted friend. Pretty cool that this is like our anniversary trip and we saw him. I love it when God surprises us with little things like that! They're my favorite!

Stevooooooo!

I even got to see where Peyton and Lucas' scene was filmed--the one where the Comet breaks down and he comes to tow her. Now THAT was one HECK of a sight to see! The words "Why are guys such jerks?!" kept replaying over and over in my head the entire time we were there. Well, that and "Oh my GOODNESS, look at that GATOR!" Yes, you read that right. The body of water shown behind them in that scene is filled with gators. Yikes! One of them followed us wherever we moved and watched every step we took--creepy yet so cool at the same time! One day my curiosity is going to get me in trouble...but not today! :o)

at Lucas & Peyton's spot!

We made a pit-stop at the hotel for a while (long enough for me to nap away my migraine with the help of some Excedrin and for P. Sawyer to read a little), and you can bet your hard-earned dollar (shout out to good ole' Travis) we watched the gag reel as soon as we came back to our room. Just once. Okay, twice. Real talk: we watched it five times back-to-back. It's our favorite and this season was nothing short of HILARIOUS! I really feel like I know the actors/actresses when I watch it--basically, we should be best friends and all that jazz. Butttttt since my time hasn't come yet, I live in this fantasy world that I'm the peanut butter to their jelly.

We headed back to Front Street for dinner at The Reel Cafe, one of our favorite spots. We even saw Stephanie Treventi while we were eating, which was such a pleasant surprise! Hopefully we'll see her again on Saturday when we go to the studio tour at Screen Gems! After dinner we stopped in at The Liquid Room (located at 23 Market Street...emphasis on the 23, of course!) for a about half an hour, and when we left and were walking up the street, guess who we saw. James AND Stephen. They were across the street, and we decided not to bother them since we had just seen James the night before. Seeing him two nights in a row? Seriously? HEAVEN! That really is the only way to describe how I feeeeeeeeel. We also passed Josh (whose real name is Paul Teal, who played Alex (Jana Kramer)'s co-star in Julian's movie this season! We couldn't remember his name and had to google it (oh, the shame), so we missed the chance to meet him. P. Sawyer is sleeping right now, but I can betcha that she's dreaming about kicking herself in the hiney for giving up three different opportunities to meet cast members. Me, on the other hand, am still so stunned from meeting James that I don't think anything will upset me. Maybe ever again. Well, not for a while at least. :-P

Once we came back to the hotel for the night, we only had one last thing to do before getting ready for bed: put that self-timer to work and keep up the tradition of taking outrageous pictures! No onesies were involved this time (dangy), but we did wear our matching Tree Hill t-shirts that we purchased earlier today at Poodles. We had quite a lot of fun for about and hour and a half doing the most ridiculous things we could think of. We rearranged the room so we could use the couch as a launch pad for jumping on the bed and had an intense 15-minute pillow fight. What that means is that tonight was thebomb.com, that's all. It wouldn't be a Hales & P. Sawyer trip to Wilmy without a little child-like behavior. Man oh man, do I love that girl to pieces!

our super fly t-shirts!

a girl is never to old for a good old-fashioned pillow fight!

Tomorrow should be a grrrrrrreat day--there is definitely filming at Clothes Over Bros, meaning that there's a good chance we'll see Sophia and Austin, and there's also the possibilty that Sophia and Joy will be filming at the bridge. We're going to scope out everything to make sure we don't miss a beat, don't you worry! ;) I'm so excited to see my first filming bit of season 8! YIPPEEEEE! Tomorrow is going to be epic. I just know it.

It's currently 1:18 a.m. and I have to be up in less than six hours. I believe that's my cue to turn in for the night. Sleep tight! Don't let the bed bugs bite! :)

Hales & P. Sawyer do Wilmington, take FOUR.

When I woke up this morning, I knew today would be incredible. Not only was I leaving to go to Wilmington for five days, but I was going with my dear, dear P. Sawyer. Uninterrupted quality time with this girl is always the best. As we both are sitting in silence on our king size bed with our backs against the head board, our feet extended and crossed, and our Dell computers on our laps, I am thinking to myself how blessed I am to have such an irreplaceable friend. I thank Jesus for this girl every single day, and there is no one I'd rather have by my side on these trips! I just love my, P. Sawyer. :o)

Hales & P. Sawyer do Wilmington, take FOUR!

So, our schedule for today went a little something like this: we left my house around 4:45 p.m. and drove into Wilmington a mere four and a half hours later. There was absolutely no traffic (it's clear I'm not in LA anymore) and we made it here in record timing. Saweeeet! The first thing we did was park downtown and go to the Brewery for some dinner. My BBQ and sweet potato fries were on time, that's a fact. After we finished dinner, we decided to go for a little stroll up and down Front St. That may have been the best decision of the entire trip, because...

meet my babydaddy.

WE RAN INTO JAMES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He EVEN made small talk with US! "So, where are ya'll from?" was his question, and thankfully, P. Sawyer fulfilled her role as my translator and answered him. I was too busy trying not to pass out or scream bloody murder. P. Sawyer took a picture with him first, and  then it was my turn! I need everyone to pay close attention to this next sentence. Ready? Okay, here is it...I didn't make my excited face! I actually look NORMAL for once in a picture! P. Sawyer was SO proud of me! You should be, too. That is the first time in OTH history that I haven't made the most terrible face while taking a picture with someone. Thank GOODNESS I was able to pull it together and show my big girl side to James. I waited until we got all the way to the car before I even made a peep...and then I busted wide open.

I immediately called Teeeesh and when the only thing he heard for the first twenty seconds of our conversation was me screaming, he asked, "You met James didn't you?!?!?!" Oh boyfriend, you know me so well. The funniest part about it was that he quickly added this to his comment: "Is it bad that I'm the first person you call to tell when you meet the other man you love?" HA! Bless him!

these are our "WE MET JAMES!!!!!!!" faces!

After I was finally able to settle down enough to drive without wrecking, we went to Walmart to buy season 7...except they only had one copy. Awesome. Target was closed and the gypsy told us that there was another Walmart nearby, but there definitely wasn't one. So, tomorrow we are going to Target first-thing to buy our copies. If Target doesn't have them, then we're going to Best Buy. And if Best Buy doesn't have them, then we will surely die. We waited to buy our copies until we were in Wilmy to make it more memorable, since it may be the last season, so we bettttttttta get them!

We're still laying on the bed in the exact same position we were when I first started writing. P. Sawyer is looking up filming information, because she's the best at it. She finds out where we need to go, and I am responsible for getting us there. Basically, we make the perfect team.

I could go home right now and be the happiest girl in the world. Always (and forever). If our first day was this epic, I have high, high hopes for the rest of the week. Fourth time's a charm? I'm thinking yes. Definitely yes. :)

"I'm not a little kid anymore. It means pissed-at-men syndrome."

I bought the book the day it went on the shelves at Barnes and Noble (September 8, 2009). I finished the book  three days later (September 11, 2009). So can someone please tell me why it took me so long to watch the movie? Especially since it gave me the opportunity to watch Liam Wensworth for an hour and half (shirtless, at times, might I add).

chocolate fixes everything.

At least Shannon and I got to watch it together and look over at each other every five minutes to laugh at ourselves for being drenched in our own tears. We helped heal our hearts with several scoops of vanilla ice cream drizzled in chocolate and a piece of Melly's birthday cake. That was some good bonding time, right there.

my name may not be Ronnie and TJ's name may not be Will, but this is us. make no mistake about that!

The scene in the picture above is my favorite! I laughed so hard when Will (Liam) tried to sing with Ronnie (Miley), and I immediately got a flashback of Teeesh and me in high school riding in the Dodge. My oh my, how I love that boy. :o)

Will and I both had on our wife beaters tonight. We like to keep it classy and sophisticated. Always. What better way to rock these fine articles of clothing than to show off your muscles? I even had on my Kasey pajamas, which only adds to the level of class and sophistication. Oh, how I love being a Henderson girl.

I also got to see Camo today...FINALLY! After nearly four months, we had lunch at our usual spot: Pizza Inn! He's not a big fan of the place, but since I have a weird obsession with it, he never tells me no. Or even complains about it. Bless his heart! Our lunch date lasted for two hours and forty five minutes and included endless chatter, lots of venting, even more laughter, pineapple dessert pizza, and sweet tea. I am so thankful for such a wonderful friend. :)

"Sometimes you have to be apart from the people you love, but that doesn't make you love them any less. Sometimes it makes you love them more." -The Last Song

p.s. I get to see my P. Sawyer tomorrow. And we're road-trippin' to our favorite place in the whole world. Yep, you guessed it...WILMINGTON! This will be her second trip of the season (already!) and my first (stoooooopid long distance!), and there seriously aren't enough words in the English language to describe how OUT OF CONTROL WITH EXCITEMENT I am right now. P. Sawyer and Hales take Wilmy, round FOUR.

no description necessary.

p.s.s. I received this message about an hour ago from a dear, dear friend who shall not be named:

"I hope this doesn't wake you up or anything, butttt I am currently in bed, in the dark, drinking a strongbow in the hopes that it'll put me to sleep. I couldn't think of another bodily depressant. Does this classify me as an alcoholic? I hope to Peter, Paul, and Mary not."

I am STILL dying. I have the best friends in the whole world.

Goodnight!

here to stay. for now.

The first thing I did when I got home on Friday evening was go to dinner at Olive Garden with my best friend not bestie to celebrate her 21st birthday! I honestly don't know what I would do without this girl by my side. Still going strong since 11th grade.

"We'll be friends until forever, just you wait and see." -Winnie the Pooh

Then I went to Melly and Liz's new apartment for the very first time. We made a fort for our sleepover, and it was AWESOME. Of course, we slept in it. Well, for the most part. **cough cough LIZ cough cough** It was SUCH a breath of fresh air to see my baby sister and spend some much-needed quality time with her!

On Saturday night, I went to Clemson to celebrate Squid's 22nd birthday with some of my favorites. Dinner at Calhoun Corners is always a good thing. And I repeat, ALWAYS. I am so glad I got to hang out with my roomies for a while--I hope we make this a regular occurrence!

Today was Melly's and Whitney's birthday! YAY! Daddy and Shannon made us a gooooooooood lunch that was overflowing with all things southern: macaroni and cheese, black-eyed peas, cornbread, sweet peas, cream corn, rice, pot roast, and sweeeeeeet tea. Heaven on earth? You betcha!

She got some moooo-lah, a new grill for her Jeep, and a couple outfits from Cali that are sure to turn her into a California gurl (i.e. the awesome stunna shades pictured above).

After the celebration began to subside, it was time for me to do the inevitable: buy a new camera. Yes, it's true, Black Beauty took her last picture on Friday and is now in Cameraland (the place where all cameras go after death, of course). This is my new baby, and I am hopeful that she will be just as close to my heart as ole' Beauty was. Meet Pacey, my newest lifeline! She is named after my favorite place in California: the Pacific Wheel in Santa Monica. :o)

As much as I miss being in Cali, I will say this: ahh, it's good to be home.

"it might sound strange to start a story with an ending, but all endings are also beginnings. we just don't know it yet."

Here it is. My last time blogging from the golden state. In less than five hours, I will be sitting in the airport in Ontario getting ready to depart for Houston…and then Greenville, SC. Should I be sleeping? Probably. Can I? Not a chance! I know I say this all the time (and trust me, I think it WAY more than I actually voice it), but how in the WORLD is it time for me to come home already? I knew this summer would change me. I just didn’t know how much change it would be. Honestly, it’s going to be really hard to go home and do the same things I’ve done for years and years. You know how it feels when you get a taste of something that you love and then you only want more and more of it? Well, that’s where I am at this point in my life. I want more. A lot more. And wherever that more is, I want to be willing to go. Anything less than life-changing, at this point, would be settling for less than what I was made for. That just won’t do. :)

Yesterday and today were filled with a whole bunch of “see ya later”s and “I’ll see you soon”s, and tomorrow there will be two more added to that list. Tomahawk and Kyle treated me to lunch at The Ivy in Beverly Hills, and it was absolutely, positively, without a doubt the cutest and yummiest place I’ve ever eaten at. We laughed and joked the entire time we ate (which is nothing out of the ordinary), I got a Tom Humbarger autograph (just wait, everyone will know his name soon), we chatted a little as we walked down the road, I gave out two of the biggest hugs ever, and cried the whole four-block trek back to my car. I am really going to miss those boys. BUT I will be seeing them soon, make no mistake about that!

love me some Tomahawk!

and, of course, some KYLE!

 After lunch, I went over to Marisa’s apartment to hang out with her for the rest of the day. We ate at Bossa Nova, went back to her apartment and watched Bounty Hunter (so cute, by the way!), and then went to Drais for one last night out in Hollywood for this Carolina girl. We only stayed out for about an hour (long enough for us to each have one of our favorite drinks, of course!), and then headed back to her house to hang out with the stunning fellas of SKYLINE! Why is that so exciting? Well, no big deal, butttttttttt they now have a LEGIT record deal. WORD! I am so excited for them—they have worked so hard for this, and they deserve every bit of it! So proud of you, guys! :-D

sweet, sweet Marisa and me at Drais. :)

some of the best people on the planet!

This morning, I went to Outdoor Adventures one last time to say my final “see ya later”s to Anne and Jen. I don’t think it is possible for me two love those ladies any more than I do right now. We hung out in the office for about two hours, had one of the best conversations I’ve ever been a part of (that’s always the case when the three of us get together), and then came my favorite part…praying together. That may be the one thing I will miss most about being out here. Coming into the office, spending the day with people who actually care about you, and then making it a habit to pray nearly every day together. Every day was destined for greatness. I pray that all of my future days are just like the ones I had this summer. When Jesus is at the heart of every move we make, there is always greatness. And miracles. And grace. And power. Like I said, destined for greatness.

Once I made it back to the apartment safely (fyi, it’s tough to drive with tears in your eyes), I decided that it was time to tackle the inevitable: packing up my room. It only took me a couple of hours to get everything situated, and I even found a new little friend in the process…a teeeeeeny tiny lizard had made a home out of my room. I finally captured him, but not before naming him Spazzy—that little thing’s legs went a million miles a minute when it tried to run from me. So cute! I trapped him and then Cath set him free. Teamwork.

Tonight was roomie night, aka the best night ever! We began the evening with a Chinese massage, which was definitely a first for me. And for the record, that junk HURTS! Maybe it was because my masseuse was a mean, mean lady. I was grimacing the whole time, and I almost let out a few yelps along the way. Ouchies! My shoulder nearly came out of socket, my shins have bruises all down them because of how hard she pressed them, my feet are uncomfortably tender, and my hip keeps popping in and out of place. One thing’s for sure: she was made at her life, and she definitely took it all out on me! On a better note, though, I had my first taste of sushi afterwards. Surprisingly, it was really yummy! I had California rolls and some kind of shrimp. Confession: every time I ate the wasabi, I thought about Darius Goes West and kept repeating “glosabi!” over and over again. HA!

first time eating sushi: success!

 Nextttttt, we went to Golden Spoon for some frozen yogurt—mmmm! I had chocolate yogurt with cookie dough and pieces of Heath bar on top—double mmmmmm! We made a pitstop at H&M on the way home for some goodies, and I experienced another first: running through the water spraying up from the ground. No regrets, right? That’s my motto, at least! Catheterd and Shell Station even got some entertainment out of it, so it was a positive experience for everyone! I am a five year-old stuck in a twenty-one year-old’s body. Just had to get that out there. Even though that is no surprise to all the people who know me at all. :o)

my silly roomies enjoying some deeeee-lish fro yo!

the aftermath of my spontaneous frolicking through the water jungle. girl, yes I did!

 My car is packed. Shelye is taking me to airport to leave for home bright and early in the morning. Candice is saving my behind and handing Belle over to the auto shippers after I’m gone tomorrow. I will be back in the Palmetto State at 4:13 p.m. Mommy, Dustin, and (possibly) Daddy are meeting me at the airport for the last time for a while (orrrr maybe not). And thennnnn I get to do something awesome. What is that? Celebrating my best friend not bestie’s (early) 21^st birthday! YAY! I can’t think of a better thing to do when I first get home, that’s for sure! Anddddd there’s more. I am spending the night in Anderson with sisterfriend and Lizard in their new big girl apartment! DOUBLE YAY! How cool is it that my seeeester and best friend have the SAME birthday? Glorious, absolutely glorious!

happy almost 19th birthday, sisterfriend!

happy almost 21st birthday, best friend not bestie!

I can’t wait to get home, I really can’t. But I am also dreading to leave this place. It’s so crazy to me that 16 weeks passed by in the blink of an eye. Seriously. I feel like I just got the email telling me that I got the internship. The older I get, the more quickly time passes. And the crazy thing about it is that I have grabbed and held on to every single moment, yet, they all still fly by. I guess we could all do a little better at seeing all of the moments in our lives as what they truly are: a gift that can easily be lost if we don’t acknowledge them as so.

I have grown up so much and so fast over these past three months. In a lot of ways, I am the same person I have always been. But in other ways, I am completely different. When I was younger, I always saw change as a bad thing, something I should run from and try my hardest to resist. As I’ve gotten older, though, I have come to realize that not all change is bad. In fact, none of it has to be bad—it’s all about how you perceive it. This summer has taught me many things, most of which I may not even realize for years, but the one thing that I have learned that I know will stick with me for a lifetime is that growing up is not a bad thing. I’ll always be daddy’s little girl. Mommy’s little angel. A big sister. A granddaughter. A best friend. I’ll always be all of these things and more. But I’ll also be a big girl who refuses to live a life any less than the one she imagined in her dreams when she was just a wee little blonde thing. I was meant for more. I was made for more. And I will be more. More than I have been. More than I think I can be. More than others think I can be.

Thank you, southern California, for opening up a world to me that I never knew existed. Thank you for changing me. You will be missed, but I promise you will never ever be forgotten. You helped turn this sweet little southern belle into a woman. A woman who is ready to reach the world and do her part to help make it a better place.

 “Growing up is never easy. You hold on to things that were. You wonder what's to come. But that night, I think we knew it was time to let go of what had been, and look ahead to what would be, other days; new days; days to come. The thing is we didn't have to hate each other for getting older; we just had to forgive ourselves...for growing up.” –The Wonder Years

“There are some things that we never want to let go of. People we never want to leave behind. But keep in mind that letting go isn't the end of the world. It's the beginning of new life.”