My summer started 2 weeks ago.

I went about my entire homesick Summer term (I confess. It was baaaddd), with the reassuring thought that I'd come home shortly on the anticipated 14th of Auguest to a flood/parade of "Welcome Back" parties and sobbing hugs, the effect of every Temecula inhabitant direly missing me in my two month absence.......ha.

It's this very image that I had embarrassingly enough, contrived in my head that made me completely take for granted the last week of the term. Everyone began to get all nostalgic.....but me? I began packing up my room a week beforehand. I couldn't wait to be in the warm embrace of my mom and friends who would all say something along the lines of, "Haley, Temecula changed when you first got here, and now it's changed again because you are gone..." It would be then that I'd be 150% positive that I was missed and much as I was missing them. You see, my life took a one-eighty when I left home, it's now sooo different, as everyone soon discovers when they leave the nest. I now refer to myself in the mirror as Holly Walker, not Haley. I fend for my own meals, buy my own shampoo, do my own laundry, and have to worry about BUYING "thank-you" cards, as I no longer have my mother's Willa-Wonka factory-like craft room to make them (Lu, Mom--please don't disown me). For those of you wondering, ya......I may have slept a few HSM script inspired lines in there... :]

I didn't sleep the night before my flight. I was too excited! I had a super early flight and couldn't fall asleep thousands of feet above ground either. I made friends with the couple next to me and pretended to know all about the last season of the Bachelor to sustain a conversation, read through an entire trashy gossip magazine from cover to cover, AND watched JetBlue's complimentary television set--all in a flight of an hour and fifteen minutes. And then, I'm sitting on the curb of the airport for nearly an hour waiting to be picked up.

Turns out life marched on without me. My friends made new memories and were in anticipation of THEIR departure...not my arrival. I don't know where I went wrong and became so selfish as to believe they would. "Life sucks and then you die." That's not a line from HSM. HSM would never be so pessimistic. I know, I'm ashamed!

After a few days of moping around the house, Mom decided I HAD to snap out it. So we decided to go see Julie & Julia. But that wasn't enough, so we had to see Post Grad & 500 Days of Summer-twice. The realistic perspective of the latter sobered me up, because even though it admits that life sucks sometimes, there is ALWAYS something coming up in the works that's even better! Autumn follows Summer. I LOVE THAT MOVIE. Go see it. NOW.

So with only one week left of my two week vacay at home and probably five hundred too many words blogging about it, Haley Walker has appeared in the mirror again. I miss my summer buddies.....even if they did get me in get me in trouble for being creepers at my window.



Adam & Porter are both leaving on their missions in the coming two months. So, they will no longer make guest appearances on my blog....so sad. I'm even worried I wont have anymore "Utah" typical dates!

Wait, WAIT. What was my big epiphany?! Autumn follows Summer. Keep telling myself that!


With the remaining week I had left, I took full advantage of unlimited bowling...





I'll tell you upfront that I'm terrible....but I did get my very own, very FIRST, strike! Woooo!!! Go, go Haley (not Holly). That optimism really does something for you. I even tied for first!.....in a game of trying to knock down the LEAST amount of pins. Yaaaa. That's how we do!

I also was a dancing queen at a friend's 80's birthday bash..



And wake surfed my way across Vail Lake.





I'm heading back up to P-town in the morning for a brand new semester full with the promise of BYU football season, a darling new roommate named Emily, a fun floral design class, the Brutschs, new boys!, a new season of So You Think You Can Dance, and a TON of new Cougars on campus.

Thanks Mom & Dad for a GREAT, AMAZING, WONDERFUL, FUN-FILLED, and $$$ spent visit home. It's no wonder I got so homesick! Love you so much.

Over and out till the next post y'all. Promise it wont take so long...and remember: Autumn always follows Summer.

:]