Good things come to those that wait...

Please watch this:

Two Years

It is one of the sweetest most touching things I've seen in a while. So I'm just sitting here alone in my apartment soaking in my own pitiful tears. Gosh how I miss Chris. Some days, most days actually, it is so easy. He's so happy and I'm happy and time just flies. Then there are days like today, where I remember how many days there are left, rather than how many have passed. It seems like an eternity more and then he will finally be home. I cannot express my love for him enough. We've been through so much together. I've known him since I was eleven. Hardly more than a child. And I fell in love. You may think I'm foolish, irrational even, but I know. I know that he is for me. He has blessed my life in more ways than I thought I ever deserved. I am so grateful that he is out serving the Lord. He is blessing the lives of many more. The Lord has blessed me during this time as well. It has been so easy most of the time. In fact, my mother had a harder time with his absence than I did. I would start to talk about him and she would leave the room or just burst into tears. It was actually quite funny. I thought I was the unstable one. ;) His family was a great blessing during the first week he was gone. I spent more time over there without him there than I did with him. Haha it was actually a little funny. But their home has begun to feel like my own. I love his family so much. They are selfless, giving people that have invited me into their lives and made me feel like a part of them. They continue to love me and invite me over, contact me, send me his emails, and do more for me than I could have ever imagined. School has also kept me busy. I get caught up in all of the things going on in Rexburg, Idaho, which, I must admit, isn't much. But, even still, I keep myself busy. I'm so happy that he has this wonderful opportunity. I know he is growing, just as I am. I know he'll be back soon. Until then, I'll continue to press forward, trusting in the Lord. For all of you waiting for missionaries, Heavenly Father will make it easier on you. He will help you know what to do during this time. If you haven't figured it out already, I love Christopher Aaron Roisum. He is a wonderful young man. I hope that each of you find your "Chris" one day.
Love,
Haley

Just another summer day--2008

Summer 2011

Winter 2009

Fall 2009

Homecoming Royalty 2008

Road Construction Has Begun!

Hello all.
It's almost summer time.
The weather is warmer.
The sun is shining.
The tank is clean!
And road construction has begun.
I would first like to proclaim my love for my wonderful job. I love it so much. Why? Because it's the greatest. You get to stand and stare at angry drivers all day long while you get flipped off, cussed out, hit on, and whistled at. Also, you get awesome tan lines like this:

I cheated a little. This picture is from last summer, but
you get the point.

And, if you, like me, are slightly allergic to the sun, you get hives. Like this:

Just kidding. That picture is disgusting. :)

You also get really quite dirty.

And you lose your mind a little bit and decide that a pile of ants is the coolest thing you have ever seen. So, you take a picture of them:

As you can see, there are many ants.

You also get to wear this sexy outfit called a hard had, safety glasses, and a reflective vest. 

I felt the blow fish face was totally appropriate.

You also are allowed to park under important signs because... Well because you're important!

Well drivers. Be careful out there. And please, please be nice to the flaggers. They really aren't trying to make you miserable I promise. In fact, we are only trying to keep both you and the construction crew safe. Please don't speed through the construction zones. When a flagger is holding a slow sign, please slow down at least a little bit. And don't be rude. There is something about being in cars that makes people feel like they are invincible. We are people too. Just remember that. :) Love you all. Have a wonderful day and travel safely this summer!

Memorial Day Weekend

It has been oh so long. I am a terrible blogger. I praise all of you out there that keep either a journal or blog of some sort frequently. Good work. So I will just update all of you on the status of everything. So, as you know, or perhaps you do not, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend. My heart goes out to all of those that may be grieving during this time. I am also forever grateful for those that have fought and are still fighting for the safety and security of this wonderful country. I've always been very patriotic at heart, yet I feel I don't voice it enough, if ever at all. I'm somewhat quiet when it comes to opinions that contradict others, though my mind and thoughts are so incredibly loud. If only I could express that well. I feel so blessed to be in such a wonderful place. Heavenly Father has been very very good to me, allowing me to live my life here. I would feel very prideful if I did not express those feelings at this time.

I feel odd now transitioning into something so different. It seems a little selfish. But here is what has been happening. School is going well. This is such an easy semester and I am grateful that I have had so much time to do what I love. I have been able to spend much time being with my roommates and my friends. It seems like we are always busy doing something new. We have been big on Sunday dinners this semester. We thought perhaps we would scare away our guests, but they just keep coming back every Sunday. One of my roommates, Shaina, has a tradition in her family where the first time a guest comes over to her house for dinner, the guest must entertain them somehow after the meal is finished. So we have implemented that same tradition in our apartment. Every time a new guest has dinner here, they must do something to entertain us. We've had things from a person lighting his hand on fire to a full on skit with different people playing another's arms. It has been so much fun. The meals have also been fantastic. And occasionally we will add an activity that goes with the meal. For instance, for one dinner, Shaina and I wrapped a bunch of random utensils, like a blender bottle whisk, a potato masher, a Tupperware lid, a goblet, etc. Then, we did a Christmas gift exchange type thing with all of the utensils in the center. Of course, none of the guests knew that they were soon going to be eating with these "gifts". So after everyone sat down and was situated with their gifts, we all opened them and then announced that these were the utensils they were to eat with. To add to the fun, we all sat on the floor in a circle and then tied our wrists to the person sitting next to us. Anyway, Sunday dinners have definitely been a highlight of my semester.

Some other activities that have been happening include:

Hiking "R" Mountain

Running Stadium Laps

Cutting Zach's Hair

And Eating at Buffalo Wild Wings

It has been a great semester to say the least. Marisa (pronounced Mer-EE-Sah NOT Mar-iss-ah) also had family pictures this weekend in Utah. Ol' Gilroy just wasn't going to make the drive though. Gilroy is Marisa's car. He has been struggling. So I offered to drive her and CJ and April down. And oh what fun! Here is some of our adventures from this weekend:

Eating at In and Out Burger with Strangers. :) This was a lot of fun. Of course,
when we got there it was jam packed and no tables were available. So we waited
around for one to open up, and a kind man saw us waiting and told us he was
about to leave and that we could have his table. So he left and we took over. Then we
saw these nice boys waiting for a table and asked them if they would like to join
us. It was quite enjoyable. :)

We went shopping at Nordstrom at the City Creek Center. Nordstrom is my
very favorite store for all of those that were unaware. 

We also woke up looking really pretty. 

I also bought this coral dress. I love this color. It was a must.

And, one of the best parts of the weekend:

This dress.

Ok. This picture is not the greatest, but the dress is! Here is the story behind this beauty. We were shopping at Nordstrom Rack. And I pulled this dress off the rack because I was super attracted to its color. It looks black in the photo but it is actually a really pretty eggplant color. So I pulled it out and it looked kind of ugly. But I saw great potential and decided to try it on. I will admit, it looks a bit like a sack, but I fell in love with it! I just can't express my love for this dress. It is a situation very similar to the leather jacket. So I decided to buy it and I wore it to church today. As I was sitting, waiting for an interview with my bishop, Malia, my other beautiful roommate, said, "Oh! Your dress has pockets too! That's cool." And I about died from elation. I was so excited! I immediately stuck my hands in those bad boys and just smiled. Pockets in dresses are one of my favorite things. It just made me so happy. So I've just been having a great day. :) Oh and also, my FHE brother, Nate dropped by. Without invitation. Contrary to what most people live by, I LOVE when people drop by unexpectedly just to hang out. It makes me very happy. So I was very happy to see Nate. So I gave him one of these:

Haley Brackett's Famous Cookies

Nate was having a hard time focusing on the conversation while eating....but we understood. If you haven't had one of these cookies, call me. I will make you one. If you call me tonight, I've still got a few left. :) Nate also was telling me a story about how he was asking this girl in our ward if she knew who I was and she asked, "Is she the really pretty one? Like REALLY pretty?" And I just...my heart melted. That was the sweetest thing ever. Telling me I'm pretty is like one of the best compliments in my opinion. You will immediately be my best friend because I will think you are the sweetest person in the whole world. Thank you to everyone who has already said that. I love you. :) Ok world, for now, that is my life. I appreciate all those that read and/or follow me. :) Have an absolutely wonderful Memorial Day tomorrow and don't forget to thank the Lord for the people that are fighting for us and the blessings you have just from living here in America. Love you all.
Love,
Hay <3

It's been a while...

Hello friends. It's been a while since I've blogged. I must say I'm not the best at keeping up with this thing...but I try. I would just like to proclaim my love for eBay.com. First, I must say that I am the queen of eBay. Let me just explain my past experiences...
I have been selling things on eBay forever. Since I was about 13. Pink sweats resell very well.
So I bought this pair of yoga crop pants a few years ago at Victoria's Secret when they first came out. When they first came out, they were only $24.00. Amazing right? Now you can't even get their yoga shorts for that much, and those are about a quarter of the fabric. Anyway...I had two $10 off coupon, but I couldn't use them at the same time. So I ended up getting one pair for about $14. And then got another pair a few days later for the same price. Fast forward to the present...well...a few months ago. Those pants were getting a little old. I hardly wore them anymore. So...eBay it is. :) I auctioned both of them off. One for $29 and the other for $27. I don't know who wanted to pay that much for used pants...but more power to them. So, I made $28 and got very good use out of those pants.
Next example...
About a year ago, Dillards was having a massive clearance sale, with an additional 25% off of all clearance items. I found a beautiful Coach purse that was marked down to $100. Normally $198. Plus the 25% off equals $75. So I purchased it, used it up until 2 days ago. Then decided to list it on eBay. I was in a search of a new bag for class, and realized that Coach items have a great reselling price. So I listed my own that I purchased a while back (planning to use the money to buy a new bag), starting the auction at $25. Wow, that is really low, you may be saying. Yes, yes it is. I start all of my auctions out low because then people say "Whoa! That is a super low price." And bid. And then more people bid. And then more. And then it isn't about buying the product anymore. It's about competing with all of the other bidders to win! It's about winning. That is the secret to eBay. I will share that with you. :) So, minutes after I listed this purse (literally minutes, less than 5 minutes) I received a message, asking if I would do a Buy It Now option, and if so, how much? So I decided I would take $100 for this purse if they wanted to buy it right away. I don't really like doing buy it now options because it limits the amount that an auction can go for (another secret). When people form their own idea about how much an item is worth, it will surprise you how much an item will go for. So do not put Buy It Now options on your listings. Well...you can. But I don't recommend it. This was a different case because it was a private message. And they were obviously interested in this item. So I offered $100. And immediately I received a message saying they would take it. So I revised my listing, put it the buy it now option, and they paid for it immediately. I got paid $25 to use that purse. :) So, that my friends, is why I love eBay.

I stole this logo from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EBay_Logo.svg

The Best Drink EVER.

If you are reading this, you must finish reading, and then make this drink. It is seriously delicious. Who needs hot chocolate when you have this? I found this recipe on Pinterest, so I'll post the link at the bottom. However I did make a couple adjustments. It's called a butterbeer latte, but there is no beer or coffee in it. So don't be fooled :) obviously the butterbeer references the famous Harry Potter drink. So here it is
2 tbsp butter
2 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
Put the butter in a pan and brown it. Watch very carefully because brown butter can turn to black butter very quickly. Once you have brown butter turn down the heat to medium low, add the brown sugar and whisk until evenly combined. Let that heat up for a minute and add the milk. Heat until it reaches your desirable drinking temperature, add the vanilla and cinnamon, and pour into a mug. You'll thank me ;)

http://haydenrodgers.tumblr.com/post/8261727464/master-haydens-butterbeer-latte-recipe-so-its

I Have Successfully Finished My First Week....

...of Real Estate school :) Only 4 more to go and I will officially be licensed. :) Well, after I take the test that's scheduled after the course is finished. But you know. :) I might as well tell you why I decided to be a bit ambitious and take these classes.

1. My mom is a real estate agent. She loves her work.
2. She could always use a little extra help. Bwahaha in a good way.
3. I am off-track at college. Basically, there are three "tracks". Each one goes for about 4 months. As a student you are assigned two of the three. I have fall/spring. Which means I don't have to go to school from January to April :)
4. I am still taking online classes. (That really has nothing to do with real estate school.)
5. Real estate can make you good money if you can do it well and do it correctly.
6. I would be able to work around my own school schedule, unlike a part time job with strict scheduling.
7. Great back-up plan for a job since a Bachelor's in Psych doesn't get you much these days.

I can't think of any other reasons...but I'd say that is a pretty good list. :) Needless to say, having class Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. poops me out.

Yes my hair is still long and luscious. It's just pulled into a bun. Don't freak. :)

Business is Booming. Almost.

 I finally got my Etsy shop up and running! :D It's buttonsbowsandbling.etsy.com! Check it out! Don't forget that if you don't have an iPhone, I am still totally willing to make you a case if possible! So don't be discouraged when you only see iPhones. Just message me with which phone you have and I will see what I can do! :D Here's a couple that I made today :)

I have a new hobby, and a new best friend...

Hello my fellow bloggers. I must say that I have had a fabulous weekend. It started when I finished all of my homework for my online classes on Friday (usually everything is due on Saturday), so I conquered procrastination, but not without motives. My family planned a trip to Salt Lake City for the weekend, and I certainly didn't want to do homework while I could be shopping. Who would? Then Saturday morning we woke up early and drove the 3 hours to Salt Lake. I've always been a bargain shopper, and I love great deals and sales, so first we went to Nordstrom Rack. I love that store, because I absolutely love Nordstrom. And Nordstrom Rack is all of Nordstrom's end of season stuff that has been discounted a supreme amount. Sometimes they also have stuff that only the Rack sells, but I'm not usually interested. Anyway, I found...my new best friend...in that store...His name is...

NEW LEATHER JACKET! :D

Isn't he beautiful?! I found him...and I had to have him. He also has an asymmetrical zipper, which is something I've wanted forever. And who knew a cow could smell so wonderful?! With that said, I also got a plain white shirt and a summery citrus colored tank top (both obviously not wonderful enough for a picture, but I will thank myself some day for buying them). I know he will pair wonderfully with my spiky shoes that I purchased a few months ago...they are also quite beautiful and one of my favorite pairs of shoes so they go together like peanut butter and ladies. (Talladega Nights. If you didn't catch that last quote.) Here is a picture of those beauties.

Yes. They will be perfect together. 

In other news....

I have...a new hobby. 

Called.

Making these phone covers. They fit iPhone 4 and 4S. I can probably do other phone covers if asked. Just request it if you're interested. I am probably going to sell them on Etsy. I will post a link later when I complete more. Some of them have already sold. I'll explain below in the captions. If you are interested in any of these, or have a request and want one specially made, contact me. :) I'll put the estimated prices for each below. While some may look similar in color or style, each is one-of-a-kind, and I plan on keeping it that way, so no one will have your exact phone cover. :) I plan on having them posted for sale within the next week or two. For now, this will just be my gallery. :) 

These five. The close ups are down below.

This one has turquoise paper overlaid with
white lace, coral colored buttons of different
sizes and shades, a tulle flower with a button
center, and a rhinestone surrounded camera hole.
Estimated cost: $20.

This one has pink and black patterned paper wrapped
with tulle, flat backed white "pearls", rhinestones, both in between
the pearls and surrounding the camera hole, a tulle bow, tied around
a "Love" trinket.
Estimated cost: $20.

Pink paper wrapped with tulle, rhinestones, swarovski crystals,
 and a tulle flower with a button/rhinestone center, with
swarovski crystals glued to different parts of the tulle.
Estimated cost: $20.

This one had turquoise paper, lace overlay, flat
backed pearls, rose tinted swarovski crystals, and two
plastic flowers.
Estimated cost: $30. 

Pink paper, lace overlay, swarovski crystals, some not
tinted and some rose tinted, rhinestones around the camera
hole, two flowers.
Not for sale, already sold.

Black and white paper, wrapped with tulle, two silk flowers,
rhinestones, and flat backed pearls.
Not for sale, already sold.

Large off white fabric flower, vintage paper, lace overlay,
pink flat backed pearls, acrylic rhinestones, and a lace skirt.
Not for sale, defected.

 I would love feedback on these. Please, if you have the time, give me your opinions. :) 

The Greatest Thing I've Ever Accomplished...Well...Maybe.

I'm super excited. I've just completed my newest crafting project, and it is AMAZING!!! :D The background of this project came from inspiration from eBay, you know, my very favorite website. I used to buy these super bedazzled blingy iPhone covers off of there. They were fine and dandy for a couple weeks, but after a while they got dingy and rhinestones kept falling off and so I finally ended up taking them off. Then the other day I was perusing on eBay, looking for a new cover. I found a few, but nothing that I absolutely loved. Well, let me rephrase. Nothing that I absolutely loved that was a decent price. A lot of them are handmade, but honestly, the labor costs are NOT worth $75. That's ridiculous. So.......................I MADE MY OWN! And it's so beautiful. (If you can't tell I'm super proud of this.) Now for the unveiling....
Drum roll please....
Now stop because drum rolls are annoying.

Overview. The Swarovski crystals surround the flat-back pearls and are
dispersed evenly in the triangle of other embellishments. 

This is a view angled toward the bottom. 

This view is angled at the top of the cover, almost upside down.

How cute is that?! And these pictures don't even do it justice. It looks even better in person. To me, the pictures make the cover look a little darker than the actual cover. This cover has a lace background, with flat back pearls, large acrylic rhinestones, Swarovski  crystals, plastic roses, and a large fabric flower. I am definitely willing to make and sell more of these for those that are interested. Contact me if you are interested and we can talk about it! :)

Let Us Catch Up

Hey everyone! It'd been quite a whole since I posted so I figured I would catch up on everything! Yesterday I had the wonderful pleasure of getting my wisdom teeth pulled. To be completely honest, I was terrified. However, once I got in there, they hooked me up to the IV to sedate me. Now from what I've read, sedation puts you into an altered state of consciousness and most people don't even remember the procedure. I, however, was still quite aware of my surroundings and just felt a little sleepy. So it was an interesting experience. All went well though, since I was blessed with only two wisdom teeth, both on the same side. It is a little unpleasant when the pain killers wear off, but with them I can hardly feel a thing! I guess I just got lucky :) I haven't swollen up yet either and I hope it stays that way. My beautiful friend Holly also brought me a delicious Jamba Juice and daffodils, which was so sweet! You can see the daffodils at the bottom of this post. So that's all for the wisdom teeth. I hope to continue recovering quickly. A few days ago, my grandpa asked me what I would like for my birthday since it is coming up on the 27th. I suggested some books for my Nook so he, being the kindest grandpa there is, sent me an E-gift card for Barnes and Noble. How awesome is that?! So I've spent my days recovering reading "Divergent" and I must say I am really loving it! It is part of a series of three books I believe. So, I would recommend it from what I have read so far. Anyway, I best be off for now. Hopefully I get better at blogging. Hahaha goodnight my lovely viewers!

The Bedtime Protein Shake

Hello again! I just thought I'd share an easy way to make a delicious protein shake! I usually make protein shakes with two different types of protein. One is whey protein, which is perfect when you need protein relatively quickly (pre- or post-workout), and casein, which is very slowly released, making it perfect for bedtime or sometimes in between meals. So knowing the difference between the two is pretty important so that each shake meets your own needs. I highly suggest that you research different types of proteins before you start drinking them up. I'd like to take the time to credit my dad with my knowledge about proteins. :) (He's a pretty smart guy.) Ok, so onto the shake! Every night before bed I make myself a casein protein shake. This helps feed my muscles throughout the night (since it releases slowly), keeping them from breaking down, especially since I will be going without food for the next 8 hours while I sleep. To make this shake, you need the following ingredients (feel free to make any modifications if you are opposed):

1 banana, the browner the better!
1/2 to 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop of casein protein
A dash of cinnamon
Ice

If you would like to cut calories, I suggest using half a banana. You will still have the banana taste, but it cuts out about 50 calories. I also prefer browning bananas over the greener ones. When they start to brown, like the one above, they begin to taste sweeter, and break down a little easier. I find that the greener ones taste grassy, which makes your shake taste like grass, which is not delicious. Blend the above ingredients in a blender until well mixed. Remember, the more liquid you add, the thinner the shake will be. Depending on your preference of shake thickness, you may want to add less almond milk.

Please, forgive the dorkiness.
 I just love these so much that I feel obligated to take pictures with them.
Just kidding. :) 

Well-ah! You have a delicious midnight snack that is good for you! If you make it exactly the way it is listed above, the calorie count comes out to about 250 calories, give or take a few depending on your banana size. Play with this recipe a bit. It may not be the perfect consistency the first time. Casein is naturally very thick. You can make a shake for before or after your workouts by using this same recipe and swapping the casein powder for whey protein powder (or another faster-releasing protein), and cutting down on the liquid (whey is not as thick as casein). Now you no longer have to do the "stir with a spoon" method of protein. Take a little extra time to blend and you will thoroughly enjoy your protein. :)

My First Post!

Hello world! I thought I'd try out this blogging thing. To start, I'm Haley! I'm a college student. And I love keeping myself busy. I have a boyfriend who is currently in Italy serving a mission for the LDS church. He'll be home in about 18 months, and I support him 100%.

Here he is. Isn't he handsome?! :)

Anyway, I have an incredible life. I love exercising and I am hoping to really tone up this year! So follow me for recipes to the protein shakes I make. I also love baking! So I'll post some awesome baking recipes as well. I hope you join me on my journey to ultimate fitness. Some other things I love include having my picture taken. Haha not in a vain stuck-up way. I just would love to model, but honestly the only pictures that ever get taken are the one's from my mom. But she takes beautiful photos, so it's a fun experience! 

Like this! Bwahahaha. Just kidding. I took this one morning when I woke up...with my phone. 

Here's two actual pictures. The bottom one was a lot of fun! I have a few like this. The snow was cold but the rose petals were already there! And a perfect match to my coat and shoes. 

Some other things I love include Pinterest and eBay. I LOVE eBay. Selling, buying, you name it. I only buy new items, but I will sell some of my gently used clothing, and make enough money to buy new clothing! It's like I just trade all the clothes I no longer want for brand new ones! And who doesn't love Pinterest?! I find so many great ideas for everything on there. It inspires me. :) Well, there's me in a nutshell, and I hope that you will find this blog worth your while! I hope that you can learn more about me as I embark on this journey we all call life.