Old Friends

Today I went to a bridal shower for my childhood friend Alisa. I haven't seen her since junior high! But she has always remembered to call me on my birthday and we've kept in touch. I admire people like that. They don't forget their good old friends. I wish I was more like that. I get so caught up in life and the people I am currently with that I think of old friends as unreachable.
I'm going to try and be like Alisa.

Since I've been home

Recovered from jet lag
painted a wall in my parent's family room
babysat a bunch of kids for 8.5 days
applied to like 11 jobs
saw a couple movies
One of which was the ghost of girlfriends past. I don't recommend it.

Just look at this picture. It deceives you to think that he only has had a few girlfriends. Lies. But the last half is good. So maybe go an hour late. Yeah. Do that.

First day of class

Well I'm officially back to real life since I've been home to New Zealand. How do I measure real life? I don't really know. But I am beginning real school again. Like hard classes. Unlike the fantasy school of New Zealand.

So for my New Testament class our teacher is really cool. And he opened the class with a few questions.

1. Has anyone ever lived in a different country?
-Of course I raised my hand. I lived in New Zealand...for a few months... I know a lot of people don't think that counts but it totally does.
2. Can anyone do an impression of a famous person?
-No one volunteered.
teacher: "You guys are a bunch of mormons" (making fun of us for not sharing)
3. Can anyone here do a weird body trick?
a couple of people raised their hands. One guy just made a popping sound with his supposed "double jointed jaw" what does that even mean? All jaws have two joints. duh. the other person just put her hand behind her back and waved. I can totally almost do that.
Well at first I forgot my special talent. But then I remembered. But I hesitated. Then I thought of the aforementioned stargirl and what she would do in this situation. So of course I raised my hand.
"I can flap my left nostril"
A sound of surprise from the classroom
So I did what no one else can do and I breathed in really hard through my nose. As I do this, one nostril flaps open and shut open and shut. They had me turn do it again and face all directions so everyone could see it.
thank you stargirl for not only reminding me who I am but to not be afraid to BE who I am.
lol.

bookworm

So as I said before I am watching these kids and sometimes I find myself bored. Like when they watch the same spongebob show for the millionth time. (I am doing better about not letting them watch tv...playing is so much more like real life)

Well I read. I have averaged a book a day. Just like 200 page chapter books for elementary school kids.

• Tuck Everlasting
• The Black Cauldron
• Stargirl
• Frindle
• Skinnybones
• Wait Till Helen Comes

K Stargirl is officially my favorite book other than harry potter books. It is amazing. This girl is absolutely everything I want to be - she only cares about others and she is crazy and totally herself no matter what.

Frindle and Skinnybones make me laugh out loud.

Wait Till Helen made me really scared. That author just sets this spooky mood that freaks you out. and it's a kids book!

All I'm sayin is that if you have nothing better to do and you are watching tv, which is so dumb, you should just read some of these books.

babysitting

I am babysitting my cousins (shown via picture) in SL for the week. I've been here since Friday morning.

I wonder if I am going to be like this when I'm a mom. Always wanting to die half the time and thinking "this was fun at first but now I just want to go sleep." And I realized that this may be what my life will be like starting sometime in the next decade and ending in like 20 years. so yeah. the next 30 years of my life are going to be like this. Waking up. waking others up. Getting others dressed and lookin good. Not getting myself dressed and lookin good until like 3pm. If at all.

So right now in my life (aside from this glipse of mommy-time) I am living the most selfishly that I will ever live. And I will enjoy this time enourmously.

But I guess as a mom you start with one and build from that...instead of having all of em at once. then there's the fact that they are from you, which has also boggled my mind. Of course I will lick the chocolate off their hands because it's like my own hand...Yeah I think being a real mom will be cooler. all that special love that I don't really know about yet and stuff I hear about is part of the deal too.

But I really love these kids a lot too. Just look at them they are so darling.

Jet lag

It's 3 am and I have been lying in the dark with my eyes wide open trying to fall asleep. No use. I am officially diagnosing myself with jet lag.

Here's a movie:

See ya later alligator

right after getting Kissed by brothers...camera wasn't quick enough!
Tim tam slams - it's a new zealand thing
And my favorite girls!

Alright
I'm all packed! I leave tomorrow for the airport at noonish.

I'll be a day ahead and 4 hours behind. So right now it's Monday at 8pm. I will be facebooking blogging, and webcaming. You just let me know if you want to be a part of that and I will let you know!

If you want any gifts let me know.

Farewell!

My New Zealand Blog is: KiwiHal.blogspot.com

We'll miss you, barbie heads

Gina and I spent our last night in Arizona with our best friends, stacy barbie head and barbie barbie head.
It all started when I was first introduced with Stacy barbie head. I was putting clothes in the washer. In my peripheral vision I saw someone standing next to me. I looked over. Stacy barbie head's face was 3 inches from mine. I screamed bloody murder, I was so startled. Gina was holding her. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of a ruthless barbie head war.

I was on my computer sitting on a chair next to my couch bed. My dad needed to use the computer so he sat on my couch bed. He sat on something hard and pulled it out from beneath my pillow. It was Stacy Barbie Head. Whew. Thanks dad. That stinker Gina was going to get it.

She caught me in her room trying to hide stacy barbie head. Failed attempt.

Several minutes passed and I heard that Gina was in the shower. I slowly turned the knob to the unlocked door. Stupid girl forgot to lock it. I quietly entered and held stacy barbie head just below the shower head as I stood on the other side of the shower curtain. It took a few seconds, Gina must have been closing her eyes. Then she SCREAMED and it was so satisfying. Strike one.

Barbie Barbie head said she felt left out. So I fastened my bra to the door of the bathroom and hung barbie's head on one of the straps. When Gina opened the bathroom door, barbie's head swung around. But Gina was scared out of scares. Dang it.


Luckily stacy had little suckers on the bottom of her stand. So I licked them and put her on the inside of Gina's bedroom door. Kekehehehehe

when I had gone to bed and all the lights in the house were out, I heard gina creep up to my bedroom door. Then I got a text from her with this picture and a recording of Gina's voice saying "sleep well, Hallie, sweet dreams" in a creepy whisper. so we tied, fair and square.

Shumway Christmas Reunion

We only got together with my dad's side once. On Sunday night. But it was so great. Here are some of the cousins we chilled with.


Then the turkey was done and Gina got a turkey shot. It's tradition.

Then, oh my gosh what? The turkey was pregnant!?It was a joke my mom and I decided to play. We got a cornish hen - they look like little baby turkeys. And we put the cornish hen in the turkey's tummy before we cooked the turkey. Then when we pulled the turkey out we acted surprised and confused because the turkey was pregnant. We got those shumways so good!

Chrissymas!

I called my mom vaness this entire trip. Didn't even think about it, it's just what I call her now?

Gramma loved her gifts! notice the slippers she is wearing. from me.

Dad loved the watch, which was totally unexpected. First gift we've given him that he hasn't returned.

Gina seemed to enjoy the purse that came with an umbrella. She'll have bad luck in 2009.

Thank you Gina for the bling

To conclude, it was a very Merry Christmas.

Gramma Quotes

When my Grandma Kellis first noticed my hair she said "Oh I love your hair short. When you had it all long and straight you looked like a witch. I didn't tell you then but now I can."

Discussing the Christmas meal preparations:
Hallie: How about banana cream pie?
Grandma, in a condescending tone: What is banana cream pie? I've never heard of banana cream pie!

In the car on the way home from the temple...
Grandma to mom: ...then we have to go to the fabric store to get white fabric for your temple dress
Hallie: Oh you mean for my wedding dress? Grandma, will you embroider my wedding dress?
Grandma, without hesitation: I will not
Hallie: But what if you do want to?
Grandma: If I ever wanted to make your wedding dress I would break my hands so I couldn't.

packing to the third power

So I packed and moved out of my homey townhome...sniff
now I am unpacking all that junk at my parents
then I am packing for AZ because I am spending a week there beginning tomorrow
then when I get back I'll be packing for NZ

I just looked up my school and my house on Google Earth! I will live on the skinniest part of New Zealand...which can only mean one thing...

THE BEACH IS CONVENIENTLY ACCESSIBLE!

and the school I will teach at looks amazing:
Pomaria School

and I have broadband in the home I will live in. So we'll keep in touch.

313 hours!
I just got shivers all over.

Frosty the Snowman

Niece and Neph Christmas Party

^ This is how the spontaneous dance party ended up. I said, "Hey I'm a christmas donkey! Everybody hop on let's go to bethlehem!" And they did.


The whole bunch. So cute. So loving. So sweet. Totally on the nice list.

Hey mom what's the difference between Gina and me?

Gina is "bossy"
you are "It's all about me"

so basically according to my mom we are both not very nice.

I'm probably not getting any presents this year.

Destroying Christmas...starting early this year

On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 2:24 PM, Vanessa (my mom) wrote [to all her kids]:

My Christmas List:

Ebelskiver Filled-Pancake Pan - Williams Sonoma
Narciso Rodriguez Perfume - I saw it on eBay and google
gift card to Quilt's Etc. in Sandy
Gloves - not too thick
Slippers
Mac eye shadow
Home Depot gift card
An HDTV...

On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 4:56 PM, Hallie [hit reply to all, forgetting to disclude her mom] wrote:
gina and I have the pancake pan taken care of...

On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 4:57 PM, Hallie wrote:
da#&it! MOM WE DIDN'T GET THE PAN AND WE AREN'T ANYMORE!

Murder Mystery

it was amazing! Until I made the bread pudding sauce with a cup of salt instead of a cup of sugar. Correct me if I'm wrong but that was possibly the worst thing you could ever experience.

for lunch I have a cream cheese and olive sandwich or a shredded cheddar cheese and pimento sandwich. totally weird I know but that is all I like right now.

9 hours of my Thanksgiving break consisted of

Australia - saw it twice

Twilight - mmhm

Math teacher: "I guess I'll see you all after the break"

Hallie: "No you won't!"

Math teacher: (startled) "I guess I won't see all of you after the break?"

Hallie: "because...I will be a turkey."