Going home is always a nice little treat. It’s so funny how time has slipped away, much to my surprise, especially during my formative “adult” years. I haven’t lived at home since my sophomore year in college. Coming home is always a week, at most, visit that entails rushing to see my Louisville pals, trying to fit in time to ride my horse, and getting a good shopping trip in with my mama without leaving town exhausted.

Have you ever visited your old high school? You walk into the building that hasn’t changed. Foggy silhouettes of your buddies leaning against lockers and pushing each other in the hallways show up in your mind, but reality shows these kids in awkward fitting uniform skirts and decent attempts at smoothing wild hair. The reality is, kids have no idea who you are; you’re too old. I walked into my alma mater with my younger brother yesterday. I’m six years away from this place, and he is three. My mother is the superintendent of the school system, and we went in to rescue her from her office that is jammed floor-to-ceiling with curriculum books. We walked down a long hallway, right past our class composite pics. Class of 2007!

I was a maj, maj, maj nerd in high school. Super goofy, much like I am today. I couldn’t help feeling just a touch proud of myself, though. I remember one night in high school, after a riding lesson I’m sure, flipping through a TEEN Vogue in my room. I read fashion magazines like textbooks. Pages were marked, notes were taken, sketches drawn. I made a pact with myself that I would dress like the girls in the glossies. Dreams of being a stylist mixed with ones of being an actress (oh gosh) floated in my head. Maybe I could be like Lauren Conrad and work for a clothing label or intern in the fashion realm? Maybe I could go to photo shoots? Maybe I’ll finally get a boyfriend???? HAHA, poor Hales.

Fast forward 6-8 years. Interned for a stylist, my sweet Carrie M, no less. Been to market. Styled my own shoots. Also married – SCORE! Working for a dream team website (SMP!).

Small platforms, but it’s just a bit like those girls trying super hard to flatiron the kinks out of their hair. It’s a start. It’ll get better with time. Twenty four is around the corner. Whatcha got in store for me? Go get those dreams, people!

– Haley