Hey ya'll. My name is Haley Marin Thigpen. I'm pretty new to this whole bloggin' thing, so ya'll hang in there, haha. I'm 21 years old, currently living in this MICROSCOPIC town at the very bitty bottom of the glorious peach state, Georgia. It's not much, but I like living in the small-town, bible belt scene. I'm a junior at our little 2 year college here (Waycross College), where I am studying to get my Associates in Nursing (RN). I am also dually enrolled in our Technical College in the LPN program. Maybe one day I'll get to be a Nurse. Hahaha. I take classes 4 days a week in the morning... In the meantime, God has blessed me with an AMAZING job at a VERY nice facility that we have here called Baptist Village Retirement Community. It is a Christian based facility for the elderly where they can live out their retirement, slowly transferring into the assisted living division and then the Nursing home division if need be. I work as a Certified Nursing Assistant (so yes, I do wipe hineys and feed old people for a living), pulling the 11pm-7am shift 5 days a week. I work primarily with Dementia patients in our Nursing Home Division of the facility. When I graduate, I am planning on moving to either a bigger area and working in a really nice pediatrics facility, moving to another country, or continuing to work in geriatrics. I just love making people happy and comfortable. I really feel like God is telling me that this is what I am supposed to do. 

  Uuummmmmm. I do NOT mouch off my parents. Haha. I do live with them, but, my mother is in the Nursing program and so I work so that she can go to school and I help pay the bills. We live in a cute little house in the middle of NOWHERE. It's just me, my 17 year old sister (who is my BEST friend), my mom, and my dad. We also have two amazing pit bulls, several goats, and I have a ball python and a chinchilla. I love animals <3 ...I was raised in the Presbyterian Church (where my grandfather was a preacher), but have straid away since his death in 2006. I am still strong in my faith, but I kind of church hop with all my friends. I enjoy experiencing God under all conditions. It also seems to make my friendships stronger :) I am probably one of the nicest, most genuine people you may ever meet, if you give me the opportunity to be. I have NEVER met a stranger.

  Okay, likes, dislikes, etc...this is going to be random. Haha.

I hate liars. I love music. I love coffee. Mexican and Japanese are my two favorite types of food. I'm scared of clowns, turkeys, and heights. I love to read and write. I WILL NOT eat tomatos (not even pizza sauce or ketchup, yuck!).I'm the oldest of 5 kids, but only my sister lives with me. I have SEVERAL tattoos, but they can all easily be hidden and they all mean a lot to me. Coleslaw makes me throw up, haha. I dye my hair a different color all the time. I wear TOMS shoes ALL THE TIME! I like to wear make up and fix my hair, but I'm a t-shirt and jeans girl all day. I'm extremely close to my family. I am currently dating someone. His name is Dub. We have been together six months, and we are hoping to continue this journey together. He had a rough start, but he has really turned into an amazing person who I care very dearly for. I'm kind of a hippie (like a tree-hugger, not a druggie). I sleep with my dogs every night. I am extremely cold natured. I love to swim and be in the water. Football is my thing. I am a HUGE University of Alabama Crimson Tide fan. ROLL TIDE!... Africa is my dream place to go. As with everyone else my age, I am a HUGE texter/facebooker. I like to sing and dance, and I am HORRIBLE at both. I tend to be extremely silly and happy-go-lucky. I just love life.

  I chose to go on Expeditions for several reasons. First off, God. I feel like that is a given. But seriously, I just want to grow in my faith and become a better person for my Lord. I also want to share my glorious life and my faith with everyone who may be impacted by it or helped. Faith is contagious. Second, my grandfather. As I said before, my grandfather was a preacher. But, what I did not mention...I was born in Omaha, Nebraska. My mother was a single parent in the military, and then she met my dad (yes, technically, he is my step dad, but I REFUSE to call him that). They got married, had my sister, blah blah blah. Haha. We moved all over the country, and when I was 7, we moved to Georgia because my grandfather was extremely sick. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was 24 and did not care for himself...so he lost his vision. Then, around the time I was born, he developed cancer. So, he was the happiest, sweetest, most inspirational dying man I had ever met...and basically, all he ever wanted was for the two of us to go on a mission trip together. But, he was never healthy enough and then he passed. So, I finally got the strength, courage, and faith to take a step towards that. Third, Africa. I have always wanted to travel, and plan on going several other places in the next few years, but Africa has always been my number one. The lifestyle, the people, the culture, the wildlife...it all facinates me. I cannot wait to go. I am even thinking about being a traveling nurse and working there one day. That has always been a dream of mine. 

  The only thing I am really worried about is collecting all my money. Money is REALLY tight around here (and everywhere for that matter), so I really have to save and ration. And I work so much, I really dont have time for fundraising. Other than that, I'm just plum excited. and um. yeah. that's all I got. In the mean time, dinner is calling my name. Comment back if you want, I like to talk :) Peace, love, and faith <3

p.s. - I <3 picturesssss. I take them REGULARLY. This is me, my sweet boyfriend, and my chinchilla! :)