Five on Friday #23

July 31, 2020July 30, 20207 Comments

We made it to Friday! I am so excited that this week is almost over. How was your week?

As always, here are five random things for Friday:

Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore came out last Friday and it’s SO good! She is incredibly talented and I’m in awe of her once again. She created this surprise album during quarantine and it’s amazing! I highly recommend listening to is ASAP. Do you like Taylor Swift? How do you feel about Folklore?
Today is the last day of my class! It’s been a long week and I will be super happy when this is behind me. This is a three year program so I still have two more years of class ahead of me. If you didn’t know, I’m working towards a finance certification.
Now that my class is over I am really looking forward to August! On August 19th Brett and I will celebrate our third wedding anniversary and our ninth anniversary together. We are hoping to do a mini Michigan roadtrip to celebrate! We were actually planning a Europe trip this year but obviously that won’t be happening.
I’ve wanted Air Pods for awhile but I’ve never been able to justify the price so they have just been sitting on my wishlist. The class that I’m taking sent a care package to all of the students since it had to be moved to virtual instead of in-person. The care package had a set of wireless earbuds in it and I’m obsessed with them! Do you have Air Pods? Should I invest in a pair?
The Fall 2020 FabFitFun box spoilers have been released and I’m not that impressed. I have to decide if I want to re-new my membership after this box and I really do think that it’s a great value. Even though I’m not super impressed with the contents of the Fall box I’m pretty sure I will be renewing my membership as an early birthday gift to myself. I love having something to open every quarter! Do you subscribe to FabFitFun?

Tomorrow I am taking the exam for my class. The exam shouldn’t be terrible since I’m only in my first year so I’m only being tested on the material from this class. Year three is when I’ll sit for the certification exam which will test on all three years worth of material. Wish me luck!

Do you have any plans for this weekend?

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Five on Friday #14

September 6, 2019September 5, 20196 Comments

Happy Friday! Here’s another list of five random thoughts for your Friday morning! I hope you have a great workday and relaxing weekend!

I found a great Labor Day sale for the Fall FabFitFun box! I’ve wanted to try FabFitFun for awhile now and this seemed like the perfect time. I’ve heard that the fall box isn’t the best but I’m still looking forward to it! Have you tried FabFitFun? Do you think it’s worth getting an annual subscription?
I finally joined the Taylor Swift Lover bandwagon. I loved Taylor back in the day when she was a country singer with super relatable lyrics but as she’s gotten trendier it’s been harder for me to relate to her music. I was apprehensive about Lover but it was all over social media and I got hooked! Every single song is amazing, in my opinion!
When I graduated from high school in 2012 I bought a laptop and have been using it ever since. I really want to upgrade to a MacBook Air so I’ve been saving up. Do you have a MacBook? If you do, do you think they are worth the investment?
I got my fall decorations out yesterday after work and I can’t wait to start decorating! Fall and Christmas are my two favorite to decorate for. My house just feels so cozy!
This weekend I’m going to my grandparent’s house to meet my cousin’s new baby girl. My dad is making ribs and we are going to work on painting my parent’s guest bedrooms. Brett has an airshow this weekend but I just don’t think I’ll have the time or energy to go with him. He really likes it when I go to airshows with him but it’s hard on me. It’s been a really bad headache week and I just need to have a slower paced weekend.

Do you have any plans this weekend?

Photo by Ostap Senyuk on Unsplash

My Legendary 25th Birthday!

January 7, 2019January 5, 201916 Comments

John Legend, 25th Birthday

Hey friends!

My 25th birthday was at the end of October and yes I know this post is super late but I really wanted to share it with you!

Birthdays are always so special and this one was even more important because of this blog. Life of Hayley began as a way for me to document the 25 things I wanted to accomplish before turning 25. I started blogging right after my 20th birthday and it really evolved from there into a hobby that I love.

I had been simultaneously looking forward to and dreading my 25th birthday for the past couple of months. I wasn’t worried about reaching my goals that I set for myself when I was 20. In fact, I haven’t been worried about those goals in years. I’m proud of how far I’ve come and all I have accomplished in the past five years. I’m looking forward to the next five!

So let’s talk about why this birthday was so Legendary with a capital L.

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Have you heard of John Legend? Well, my work throws some pretty sweet parties and for their 20th Anniversary Gala they invited John Legend as the surprise musical guest and the Gala happened to fall on my birthday! Which meant that I got to get all dressed up in black tie apparel, get my hair and makeup done, and spend the evening eating, drinking, and singing along to John Legend with Brett and my favorite co-workers. Talk about Legendary!

I couldn’t think of a better way to start my 25th year!

Thanks so much for reading!

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Travel Playlist – A Week In Italy

October 10, 2018October 5, 20183 Comments

Travel Playlist - Italy

Hello from Italy (hopefully)!

I am scheduling this post a week in advance but *fingers crossed* Brett and I are currently in Rome!

The most popular blog post that I have ever written was my Study Abroad Playlist in 2015. I am still blown away by the number of views that I receive each week on this post! Music is so important to me and I love having a playlist for each trip that I take. This trip to Rome has been one that I have been dreaming about since I was in Elementary school. I’m so grateful to get the chance to visit!

I should also mention during this trip I will be living out my Lizzie McGuire movie dreams so of course there will be songs from the movie soundtrack. 🙂 I hope you enjoy this little taste of Rome.

Volare – Vitamin C

Pompeii – Bastille

Walking On Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves

Daydream Believer – The Monkees

Learning to Fly – Tom Petty

Go Big Or Go Home – American Authors

Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root

New Soul – Yael Naim

What Dreams Are Made Of – Hilary Duff

Here I Go Again – Whitesnake

Where The Streets Have No Name – U2

The Nights – Avicci

Have Love Will Travel – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

I Love This Life – LOCASH

What are your favorite songs for traveling?

Thanks for reading!

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Five On Friday #4

October 5, 20187 Comments

Five Things on Friday

Happy Friday, friends!

Once again, I thought I’d share five things that have been on my mind this week. It has been an exhausting week between an aggressive headache and lots of responsibilities at work. Let’s just say that I am very excited for this weekend and my vacation next weekend. This is my first real vacation this year besides air shows and weddings so I’m super excited to relax a bit!

October 2nd marked one year since Tom Petty passed away. Tom Petty was one of my absolute favorite artists and his death devastated the entire music industry. I celebrated his life all week long by listening to a Tom Petty playlist on repeat.
This weekend we will be attending my cousin’s wedding! I have never been more excited for someone to get married (besides me, of course). They have been dating for 11 years and I’m looking forward to celebrating with them!
Brett and I are getting ready for our long awaited European adventure next week! We are flying stand-by so I’m not exactly sure where we will end up but hopefully it will be Rome! If you want to see more about our trip make sure to follow me on Instagram (@lifeofhayleyblog). I am hoping to post there pretty regularly!
My headaches seem to be immune to any sort of pain medication now. I am on day 10 of constant pain and all I want to do is sleep for the next one hundred years.
I despise jeans but have been loving Old Navy’s jeans lately. I bought three pairs in the last couple of weeks and have been living in them. I prefer jeans that are super stretchy and comfortable and they have a lot of variety.

Also, a huge thank you to my friend Hunida for featuring me in her blog post yesterday! I always love reading her monthly favorite blog posts and was super surprised to see my blog featured! Thanks again!

Well, that’s all of this week! What’s on your mind today?

Thanks for reading!

Lifestyle Blog, Life of Hayley

Our Wedding Playlist – 100+ Must Play Wedding Songs

September 28, 2018September 27, 2018Leave a comment

100+ Wedding Playlist Songs

Hey friends,

We are headed to a friend’s wedding this weekend so in honor of that I thought I would share our wedding playlist!

Music has always been my thing. I used to love making CDs of all of my favorite songs for my friends and family. Every single road trip or event had it’s own playlist and I would spend hours planning the order of each song.

Our wedding was the highlight of my playlist-creating career and I dedicated hours planning each and every song that I wanted to be played. I wanted the music before the ceremony to be very touching but still fun. We really didn’t want a super serious wedding but wanted every second to be heartfelt.

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I have a super clear memory of standing at the end of the path and watching through the trees as Brett walked my grandmas and our moms down the aisle. He couldn’t see me but I could see him. He had the biggest smile on his face! Then I watched as each member of our wedding party left ahead of me and my dad. I had so many butterflies!

When it was my turn to walk down the aisle with my dad I felt so lucky. My dad had foot surgery the week before the wedding so I knew he was in pain but he acted like there was no place he would rather be. I went into my marriage with no seconds thoughts, no cold feet.

I hope this list helps you plan the perfect songs for your big day!

Pre-Ceremony:

White Dress – Ben Rector
Lucky – Jason Mraz, Colbie Calliat
This – Darius Rucker
Grow Old With Me – John Lennon
Here Comes the Sun – The Beatles
Everything – Michael Buble
Wouldn’t It Be Nice – Beach Boys

Ceremony:

Parent’s Entrance w/ Brett: I Won’t Give Up – Jason Mraz
Bridal Party Entrance: Better Together – Jack Johnson
Bride’s Entrance: Forever Like That – Ben Rector

Recessional:

Waiting – Green Day
Brand New – Ben Rector
Ho Hey – The Lumineers

Wedding Party Entrance:

I’ll Be there for you – The Rembrandts

First Dance:

Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing – Aerosmith

Father-Daughter Dance:

Wildflowers -Tom Petty

Mother-Son Dance:

Forever Young – Rod Stewart

Mom and Dad Dance (25th Wedding Anniversary):

Forever and Ever, Amen – Randy Travis

Cake Cutting:

Good Life – One Republic

Bouquet Toss:

Where Them Girls At – David Guetta

Garter Toss:

The Boys Are Back in Town – Thin Lizzy

Must Play:

Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
What I Like About You – The Romantics
Summer of ’69 – Bryan Adams
Drink Up – Train
First Date – Blink 182
Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars
American Girl – Tom Petty
Closing Time – Semisonic
Party in the USA – Miley Cyrus
Party Rock Anthem – LMFAO
Cheap Thrills – Sia
YMCA – The Village People
Love Shack – B-52s
Pour Some Sugar on Me – Def Leppard
Livin’ on a Prayer – Bon Jovi
Footloose – Kenny Loggins
Sexyback – Justin Timberlake
What Makes You Beautiful – One Direction
(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party) – Beastie Boys
All Summer Long – Kid Rock
You Shook Me All Night Long – AC/DC
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers
Wanted – Hunter Hayes
Yeah! – Usher
God Gave Me You – Blake Shelton
Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
Bailando – Enrique Iglesias
Starships – Nicki Manaj
The Nights – Avvici
Lighters – ft. Bruno Mars
Old Time Rockin Roll – Bob Seeger
Closer – Chainsmokers
Shut up and Dance – Walk the moon
Tik Tok – Ke$ha
Sexy And I Know It – LMFAO
Timber – Pitbull/Ke$ha
Something Just like This – Chainsmokers and Coldplay
Shape of You – Ed Sheeran
Wannabe – Spice Girls
Bye Bye Bye –NSYNC
Oops!… I did it Again – Britney Spears
Fancy – Iggy
Piano Man – Billy Joel
Wagon Wheel – Darius Rucker
I Want Crazy – Hunter Hayes
Cruise – Florida Georgia Line
Lean On Me – Bill Withers
Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Africa – Toto
Only Time – Enya
Kyrie – Mister Mister
It’s Tricky – Run DMC
Hey Ya – Outkast
Cupid’s Shuffle
Chicken dance
Cha Cha Slide
Once In A Lifetime – Landon Austin
Forever Like That – Ben Rector
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Better Together – Jack Johnson
Die a Happy Man – Thomas Rhett
Best Day of my Life – American Authors
Brand New – Ben Rector

Last Song:

Good Riddance (Time of your Life) – Green Day

We also had our DJ play requests during the reception which was a lot of fun! If you can, take the time to meet with your DJ in person before the wedding to talk about your music taste and how you want the reception to feel. I found this meeting very helpful!

Let me know if there are any songs that you would add to your wedding playlist!

Thanks for reading 🙂

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Wildflowers

October 6, 2017October 5, 2017Leave a comment

wildflowers

About 6 weeks ago I danced to my favorite Tom Petty song (Wildflowers) with my dad at my wedding. It was not the “typical” father-daughter dance but it meant something to both of us.

I remember being 17 and creating the playlist for my very first trip to Europe. I went through my parent’s music collection and found a few Tom Petty CDs. I of course knew of Tom Petty since both of my parents loved him. However, what struck me first was the resemblance of young Tom Petty to the pictures I had seen of my dad when he was young. They looked so similar!

From that moment on, I became a huge Tom Petty fan. Whoever rode in my car was stuck listening to CD after CD of his music. Songs like “American Girl”, “Wildflowers”, and “Learning To Fly” take me right back to sitting in the driver’s seat of my little red 1999 Mercury Mystique.

Brett broke the news of Tom Petty’s death to me on Monday. I was sitting at my desk at work and I was shocked. It was already a terrible day with the news of the Las Vegas shooting. His music gave me hope and comfort when I needed it the most and suddenly he was gone too.

When we found out he was still living (barely) I felt sad and hopeless. I knew he would never be the same. When word broke that he actually passed I felt numb. It was a bit better because it came as less of a shock this time.

When I see all of the pictures people are posting in tribute to Tom I can’t help but think of my dad. He doesn’t look anything like Tom Petty these days but I can’t help but see the similarities.

I hope Tom is somewhere among the wildflowers.

Get to Know Me!

August 24, 2014Leave a comment

Hey guys! This is just a little introduction post because I just realized that I never really wrote one…. Oops.

1. Well, I will be 21 in October! I am looking forward to a low key gathering with some of my close friends. We are planning to go out somewhere but I know that I’m not the type to go too crazy. I have honestly been waiting for my 21^st birthday before I start drinking. I know it’s not that big of a deal but I am a complete rule follower. I would feel so bad if I broke the law and drank before it’s legal. Plus, I have heard that alcohol doesn’t even taste good. Apparently you have to acquire the taste which seems like too much work!

2. I am a junior in college this fall. I am little ahead but I will still graduate spring 2016. My major is Electronic Business Marketing with minors in General and International Business. I am completely in love with the Business World and know that I have picked the right career path for me!

3. My favorite color is purple. I’m all purple everything.

4. When I was younger I wanted to be a writer. I would write a ton of cute, cheesy books that I would insist that every member of my family should read. It was great. I eventually moved on but now I use my blog to fulfill my love of writing.

5. I’m trying to quit drinking pop. It is way harder than I thought that it would be. Any suggestions?

Senior performance of the National Anthem

Best Friends!

6. I was in the high school marching band. I loved marching! I met many great friends and made awesome memories that will last me the rest of my life. I am a proud band geek! It was nice that I always had a place where I felt at home. I could go to the band room when I was having a bad day and be around people who cared about me. I miss band but will always carry the experiences and memories with me.

Meet Lucy 🙂

7. I love my cat! Her name is Lucy and she is so cute and cuddly. My mom adopted Lucy for me during my junior year of high school as a present right after Christmas. Lucy had been at the pound for over 45 days which means that she was about to be put down. I walked in and she stuck her paws through the cage. I instantly fell in love with her and we have been inseparable since!

One of my senior pictures with my flute

8. All through high school I was planning on being a Music Performance major in college. I play the flute and I used to practice 3-5 hours a day along with lessons, classes, rehearsals, and ensembles. I love music and I am passionate about playing. However, I have stage fright and have a hard time playing in front of people. So being a Music Performance major would be really difficult. My sophomore year I played a Mozart piece for Solo and Ensemble that I spent over a year preparing! Music will always be an important part of my life but I’m glad that I decided to major in Business.

Well, thanks for reading! I am looking forward to getting to know all of you too!

Life of Hayley

Making the most of my twenties

Tag: music

Five on Friday #23

My Legendary 25th Birthday!