psh. forget Miley Cyrus.

I am the best of both music worlds.

well, relatively speaking, I guess. and I'm sort of biased too, maybe.

my parents seem to have veeeeeery different musical tastes. but that's the best part of being the oldest. I get to listen to all their music {the good and the bad} aaaaaaaaall the time as a child. now I've grown to love some of that same stuff.

for example.

Dad:

• Elton John
• Steely Dan
• Fleetwood Mac
• Billy Joel
• Earth Wind & Fire
• and after {literally!} years of practice, I can tell the difference between Journey, Foreigner, The Eagles, Styx, Genesis, Boston, Chicago and Kansas. I can name at least one song by each of them. probly more even.*

*maybe that's not super impressive to anyone else, but when you're young and there are like a MILLION bands that seem to sound similar, are ALL one word names {half of which are cities}, it was a challenging thing!!

Mom:

• The Beegees
• Wham! {and/or George Michael on his own}
• Jon Secada & other latin hotties
• Hall & Oates
• ABBA
• Sting
• Celine Dion
• any other greatness that came from the 80s and every song found on the VH1 Top 100 Songs of the 1980s {I should know, I asked my mom when I was watching it}

• a candle
• waterproof matches
• water bottles
• space blanket
• a bar of soap
• socks
• a fork
• a compass
• a pocketknife
• a tupperware bowl

well, okay, not yet. but there will be. in a couple weekends.

oh. and reason why it's called a Toad Ball. really, I just call it that. it's technically a Cinderella Ball, but when our bishop announced it, he said it was a Princess and the Toad Ball, we'd be the princesses and have to dance with toads, or something along those lines. I thought it was hilarious and wanted to pee my pants in church and everything. I love BYU wards for that explicit reasons. hilarious reasons to laugh in church. :)

like this Sunday for example. when my friend Derik turned the super-bright-overhead lights on the ward choir while they were singing, but only flipped them on for like the last line and a half of their musical number. then went to turn them back off before he gave his talk and accidentally flipped off ALL the lights in the room. awesome.

oh. and reason why it's a Cinderella ball, not a Toad ball. so all the girls have to put in one shoe, and the boys pick their date by picking a shoe from the giant mountain of shoes. scary, right? yeah, no pressure boys. you'd better pick a great one.

so it was sposed to be last weekend, but it got rescheduled. that's okay. now I just have more time to freak out about this.

{I can write all this stuff because no boys read this blog slash care. at least, no boys of eternal significance, anyway.}

now I'm wayyyyyyyyy too excited/nervous/anxious. it's not for another week and a half, but I've been thinking about my dress and what shoes I'm gonna wear like 24/7. ridiculous, I tell ya.

still haven't decided my shoes. or my dress. help me decide.

shoe choices.

so, one thing I don't love about my birthday is the fact that it's right after the new semester starts.

aka- no one remembers.


minus my fam. but still. it always feels like everyone is swept up in getting on top of things in their new classes and such. and rightfully so. but it still stinks as a birthday.

nooooooot this year!!

I honestly was planning on just having a chill night watching a movie with my roommates or somesing low key-ish. I'd come to terms with my lame-ish birthday date and I was seriously okay with it.

my mommydear ordered Brick Oven hawaiian pizza, breadsticks and rooooot beer that came at like 6pm for dinner for me and my roommates {xoxox Mommy}. then at like 8:30pm, I was sposed to go out with Derik for ice cream. thoughtful, right? but after that it was really just sposed to be a chill night. no plans, no nothing.

so Moses, our friend from West Africa, came over to visit Kenna. she was at work, so he stayed and talked to Heidi for a minute. when I came out into the front room he said, "Haley! it's your birthday, isn't it?" 

this was totally unexpected because I've talked to Moses maybe like, once? I was like "yeah. how'd you know it was my birthday??" he said, "I think Nathan {his roommate} and I are going to your party tonight in apt 88..." 

I was a little confused.
a) who the heck did I know in apt 88? psh. no one.
b) birthday party?? this was news to me.

I had half a lightbulb go off in my head. last year in the Riv, we literally threw surprise parties for everyone in the ward {minus me because, remember, my birthday is apparently forgettable}. but Moses hadn't been there for that. or Nathan. and I was still confused by the "apt 88" thing.

but Heidi refused to make eye-contact with me, and I knew that was a red-flag. she just blew it off like, "nooooo, I think you're confused, Moses. I got a text about that, but, uh, that was for someone else. and it's not their birthday today." but he went along with it, too, and awkwardly left.

I asked Heidi 3.4 seconds later if there was a surprise party for me in apt 88. she blew it off again talking about the mystery text she'd gotten, but said it was for someone else she didn't know.

and I believed her.

c) this was probly the 2nd conversation I'd had with Moses, so maybe he really was confused.
d) ... I feel like if there were a party, somebody would have spilled the beans by now.

**but notes to self. **
okay, seriously?! no one would throw a surprise party for someone on a Thursday night if it wasn't their actual birthday.
and if your roommate can't make eye contact with you, that is a MAJOR red flag.
and D shouldn't even be included as an excuse. Moses DID spill the beans. I'm just an idiot.


so, Derik came by around 8:30. I suggested Cocoa Bean hot chocolate instead. he agreed, but said he had to grab his wallet. in my brain {which obviously was NOT at full capacity this night}, I thought, he's so stupid, how did he forget his wallet?! it's freezing outside and he's making me walk aaaaaall the way back to his apartment. why can't I just stay here and he can come back.

we got to his apartment. I didn't even notice the giant "88" on the door.

but I did hear everyone screaming, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" at me when he opened the door.

then I ran away. not really on purpose, it was just a jerk reaction, I guess. Derik definitely had to run after me and bring me back to the party. I sincerely wish someone had gotten my face on camera. I'm sure it was hilarious, my hands were still shaking like 20 minutes afterwards. I don't remember much, I just remember smiling and laughing a lot, and yelling for Heidi and Moses for straight up LYING to me!

seriously, everyone from the ward was there. apparently, he'd sent out a text at like 11pm the night before to everyone {convenient, assistant executive secretary...} about the party, and he planned it all himself. there were streamers and balloons and notes written all over his whiteboard for me. he'd called my mom to find out what kind of cake I liked, and bought this SUPER delicious chocolate cake with buttercream frosting.

he's still got all the pictures from the party. I'll post 'em as soon as I get them from him.

I was secretly disappointed about not getting to go to Cocoa Bean. ... until I got not one, not two but THREE Cocoa Bean cupcakes from Brad&Eliesa, Kenzie&Lina and Alyssa&Kelsey. so much for disappointment. seriously. you can get whatever you want if it's your birthday.

:) I like my birthday now.