ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh

Dear Jane Austen,

Thank you for always being there, in one form or another, when I need you.

Love always,

Haylie

P.S. Somehow, I can't get this video to conform to my blog's measly little size. Right click on it and hit "show all" to, well, show all. Love.

summer loving, part 1: vegas

So here's the deal: This summer the Ross and I have been able to do a ridiculous number of really fun things, all of which I have utterly failed to blog about. But no more! I hereby resolved to catch up. Starting with Vegas, June 26th.

Time for a true story? We hated Vegas. The exploitation, the environmental atrocity, the whole deal. Hated, hated, hated it...

...except for the Bellagio fountains (and yes, I know all about the wasted water, but they're so lovely) ...

...and the MGM Grand lions WHICH, I was happy to learn, are rotated out very often, which made me feel a little better about there being lions in a noisy, chaotic casino. Still, though, my Zoo brain was reeling at the lack of any educational naturalist-type person.
After Vegas we hightailed it to St. George, UT, where we ran into Ross' sister-in-law from DC in what was the single most bizarre coincidence of my life.

Hasta la vista, Vegas. See you never.

quick story

There's a group of guys who like to come and sing in front of my house. They're not busking, they're not selling CDs... as far as I can tell, they're simply doing it for the sheer joy of it (which I LOVE, no matter what the "it" is). They're each very different. One of them looks like a thirty-something hippy, and one of them looks like he does something technical at Intel. They sing old a capella standards and are very reminiscent of the Coats (formerly the Trench Coats). Anyway, as I was getting out of my car today I thought I'd let them know how much I appreciate them. I caught them in between songs and explained that I live right across the street and that every time they come to 23rd I open my window and sit and listen for a while. "You're the girl in the window," one of them said. "Yup," I said. "I'm the girl in the window. You guys are swell." As I walked away the big hippy said "Aww."

I love, love, love, love, LOVE this crazy, lovely life.

some reasons why deferring might actually be okay*

1. Red Ape Reserve at OZ

2. Miss Anna's opera

3. Jaws at Flicks on the Bricks

4. Amazing apartment

5. REALLY amazing neighbors

6. Potential, West Coast-centric trips here, here, or here (words cannot describe how much I loved Costanoa)

7. The sheer wonder and majesty that is our fair city

8. The Vaux's Swifts coming to roost in the Chapman school chimney in September

*Just as a note, we have not officially deferred yet. We're waiting until the absolute last second (and Ross has an interview). All I'm saying is that if we have to, there is compensation.**

**But we'd still rather go.

i'm totally going to this

July 24th. Be there and be square. We'll save you a seat.

oh say can you see

Happy Fourth, dear friends, and a very, VERY happy July.

Upcoming July highlights: Hiking and camping, 4th festivities, Bend weekend, and that most glorious of days, MY BIRTHDAY. Stay tuned.