mane event

 

let your hair down

A couple of weeks ago, I was inspired by a post on my friend Gretchen's blog (check it out: http://gretchenrgb.blogspot.com/) about Courtney's past hairstyles.  I looked back at my hair over the years and it's funny.  You should do it.  I would be willing to bet everyone around my age has the three following stages documented: 1.  The mullet. None of us wanted it, but it was the 80's and we were too young to protest our parents cutting our own hair in the kitchen (half of them had mullets at the time too) 2.  The perm.  Remember when you were about to start middle school and you felt all big and bad, and ready for sassy Seventeen magazine hair?  This usually also involved a chair in the kitchen.  The smell was awful and unforgettable.  and 3.  The beginning of the slippery slope of hair dye.  For me, it was the summer before 10th grade.  My mom actually suggested I highlight my hair.  Of course, it got out of control, and over the years I have gone from a brunette, to almost platnium, back to the fake greenish/purplish brown, to a mix... there have been ups and downs... but this is where I remain.  That's a short hair history for me.  Funny pics will follow.  Please send me your hair-u-mentary.  If you don't want me to post it, I won't... but I think this could be fun! 

she bangs, she bangs

Do you ever have a day where you just feel "frumpy?" Like, nothing is right.  Well Tuesday felt like National Frumpy Awareness to me.  My hair wouldn't lay right.  My eyebrows were all over the place.  My clothes were too big (not a complaint, merely a statement).  I had 3 zits that felt like Mt. Everest, the Matterhorn and Mt. Trashmore respectively, no so candidly on my chin... and I was feeling, frankly, "frumped out."  Well, I took action.  I made it to about 11:00am at work... and I called a salon I've never been to, and made an appointment.  I needed intervention.  The place is called "Changes," and well, I got one.  I told the stylist to do whatever she wanted to my hair (I didn't have the money for haircolor) and she gave me a straight style with bangs.  Now, a couple of months ago, I cut my own bangs, but they weren't nearly as heavy, or as cute.  I seriously have bangs now.  There's no hiding it.  I like it.  What do you think? (you can see the pic below on my Thanksgiving post in the pic with my brother)

giving thanks

I had to work on Thanksgiving, but afterwards I went to my sister's house and I got to see my "little" brother.  I haven't seen him in a really long time because he lives in New York, and can't come down to Virginia that often.  It was GREAT to see him.  It's amazing to me, just to see him.  He used to be this annoying little boy who taunted me and drove me crazy.  Now he's a handsome man.  He's still Chris though.  And I look forward to each time I get to see him.  I am thankful for him.  And you should have seen Brayden with him!!  He's so cute how he adores Chris... and you can tell Chris adores the attention.

cold case

Last Sunday, when I went to church, I picked my cold Bible up from the front seat of my car, when a harsh reality hit me.  This Bible was cold.  This Bible, the written word of my God, is cold.  I left it out in cold.  It was there all week... in my car.  It doesn't do any good sitting in a cold car for a week.  This is an admission.  My Bible often gets cold.  Why is it that I can have an honest yearning to know the Lord more, yet still leave my Bible in the passenger seat all week?  This humanity thing is hard to grasp, even though it is a reality.  I am thankful though, that my God isn't cold.  He was with me even though I abandoned His Word.  I am not a cold case in His eyes, thank God.

good fortune

The last time I went out for Chinese food (which was a while ago) I got this in a fortune cookie.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that I'm not big into fortunes or horoscopes or anything like that.  I'm a Christian.  While I do believe that God has a plan for me and my life, I don't bank on anything I read in the newspaper or that comes out of a cookie.  But this one was good.  It's the only fortune cookie fortune I've ever kept.  I keep it on my desk under my framed autographed picture of Brian Williams. (don't joke)

 

showing off

I tried to post this a few weeks ago, but couldn't because of technical problems.  I joined my sister, my dad, her mom (long story) and my youngest nephew for lunch one day.  It was great to get out of the office.  But the best part was after lunch, I got to bring Brayden inside so the people I'm constantly forcing to listen to stories about him, could meet him, in the flesh.  Of course, I took pictures.

cute baby!

Isn't it amazing how every female is born with the ability to dote over a cute baby, standard?  I will debate any female who says she didn't get that gene.  It's suppressed.  You may want to try therapy.  I acknowledge my maternal instincts, although I admit they are sometimes freaky. When I brake at the last minute, my right arm goes over whatever is in the passenger seat in my car. (which is usually nothing more than a magazine, a bottle of water, and a lunch bag)  I haven't ever even come close to being anyone's mother (unless you count my cat) yet when I see a baby, I'm quick to lather my hands in antibacterial hand stuff and join the crowd.  Every time someone brings a baby in the newsroom, the whole news operation practically shuts down. 

Last weekend, I drove to Roanoke to visit my dear friend Ann.  We had lunch Saturday with another friend, Karin, her husband and their beautiful baby boy, Braden.  (if you frequent this space you know the pre-existing feelings I have for another little boy with that same name, spelled differently)  Anyway... I loved seeing Braden.  And I'm so happy for my friends.  They make such a cute family.

weight watchers update

Okay, because of issues like my chronic laziness and the website I post through being down... it's been a while.  I acknowledge.  The cool thing about it is... the more time in between posts... the more I have to say.  I am so excited to report this "Weight Watchers" update.  I've been doing WW for 8 weeks now... and officially, I have lost 16.2 pounds.  0.8 pounds more and I will have lost 10% of my body weight.  I am really proud of myself.  Today when I got on the scale, I almost cried.  It said I weighed 150...something.  Since I'm not a wrestler... I'm not too keen on the idea of publishing my actual weight... but let's just say I haven't weighed 150...something since I was in high school.  My goal is to lose 20 lbs. by the time I go to Hawaii (for Christmas) and to lose a total of about 40 lbs. all together.  Thanks so much to all of you out there who have supported me in this.  I couldn't do it without you.

november 13th

Some dates get seared into your memory.  Your birthday.  Your mom's birthday.  If you're married, that day.  November 13th is a dark day for me.  Two years ago on this day, my Papa Tom died.  He died peacefully, in his sleep, at about 3:00 in the morning.  We were waiting for it to happen.  He had been very sick.  Looking back, I think he actually died before November 13th.  My Papa was a proud man.  He was of the Greatest Generation.  He was practical, loving, and funny.  He was full of advice and cute "Papa" anecdotes.  I miss him a lot.  Yesterday, I went to his grave and took some red flowers and an American Flag.  I was thinking of what he would have said to me.  He would have accepted the flowers, but said he didn't need them.  He would have appreciated the flag, then gone on to tell me about how you're not supposed to fly a flag unless it's lit up.  He would have glanced over to my car and told me I needed to wash it and asked how much gas was in the tank.  A clean car runs better.  You shouldn't let your car get all the way down to empty.  I laughed there in the cemetery, and cried.  Life isn't the same without him.  It's funny how things like death, things that are so separating, so permanent, can put things into perspective.  But then again, Papa could always do that.  I miss his big smile and his big belly, his crooked arthritic hands that just by looking at them, you knew there were stories there... and little things like how he used to bang out a little beat on the kitchen counter, trying to make me laugh.