Back In Action...

With a new look:

Funky hair and hair colors are nothing new to me. I have had almost every color, natural and otherwise. I've been a bright blond, burgundy red, near black and every combination in between. I've had bright blue and hot pink streaks. I've rocked a faux hawk, cut my own hair, and usually worn it in a short pixie or a grown-out version. When we moved here 4 years ago I had 2-3" panels of blond in my naturally dark hair. So I like having fun with my hair.

I have very conservative values, but my style is a little more edgy. The problem is, I don't usually feel like my exterior accurately reflects how I feel. Now before you think I'm talking like a teenager, yearning to find expression in rebellious manifestations like piercing and tattoos, consider this: everyone has a style. Everyone tries to express themselves in the way they present themselves to the world, whether it be through clothing, accessories, shoes, hair, or home decor. Everyone has a style they feels represents them and makes them comfortable, whether or not they show that to the world. If you doubt this is the case, imagine that you couldn't wear your own clothing. Imagine if I, or your mother, or your neighbor, or the frumpy person who sits behind you in church got to pick out your clothes. And do your hair and makeup. I'd bet that you would not feel entirely comfortable in that style. It may be a paper bag-shaped house dress, or thigh-high boots, or Birkenstocks. Chances are, one or more of those things makes you cringe. So what difference does it make if my manifestation is in my hair color or my style of dress?

It's not like I emblazoned an enormous tattoo across my chest, proclaiming my allegiance to the Dark Lord.

(Which was plan B if I didn't do the hair color.)

 I totally get that most people might not feel comfortable doing this to their hair and some think it looks downright stupid, however, there shouldn't be a judgement of character attached to it. Having bright red hair does not make me any less mature, any less committed to motherhood, or the gospel. It just makes me feel good. It's fun. A harmless, temporary, and reversible bit of fun that has no ramifications or effect on my spirit or my person.

So can't a girl have bit of fun?

I've opened up a poll on my sidebar so that you may answer anonymously. I'm really curious. I like it regardless, but I'd like to get a good idea for what people think. go ahead, give me what you've got. Even if you never comment, consider casting your vote.

And next time, very shortly, I will attempt to explain my one month absence from blogging. But first, let's get this hair thing out of the way.

Impoverished Evidence

In keeping with the vow of poverty I have so nobly taken upon myself, I turned, once again, to Great Clips to update my look. (If you would have told me at the age of 17 that I would regularly go to Great Clips or anything like unto it for style, that I would entrust them to cut my hair, let alone go for a new look, I would have died. That age was a now long-forgotten era where I had disposable income and it was used to purchase things like various Aveda shampoos. I can remember having a selection of 4 different Aveda products in my shower and how utterly intoxicating they felt and smelled. Since that time I have also fallen to the point where I trusted Timm to cut my hair for about the first year of our marriage. And it was a pixie cut. How times change; how they change indeed.)

(Even though I am not officially 30 for 4 more months, I have telltale wrinkles around my eyes. And mouth. Just for fun.)

I took these about a month ago, upon coming home from Great Clips and restyling it myself. I asked her to stack it dramatically up the back. I have a weird, flat head and need the volume of short (pixie short) hair in the back, but want it to look like I have long hair in the front. I plan on growing it for quite some time in this fashion, keeping it in the same dramatic- even severe-angle, but longer all over. I will keep it short enough in the back to disguise my freakishly flat head and mess it up all funky-like.

Upon styling it I positioned myself at my front door, where I get the most natural light to take these SPs. My dad was visiting, and I noticed he had a bit of a smirk on his face. I asked him what he thought, and he replied with a question of his own: "What do you think of it?" (That is generally not a sign that the questioner approves.) I told him I liked it to which he merely said, eyebrows raised, "It's awfully short in the back..." I told him it's supposed to be. He wore an expression that suggested he was embarrassed for me, but tried to hide the smirk he still had on his face. Perhaps these photos don't completely convey the shortness of the back, but later that day my mom agreed that she thought it was cute.

"He doesn't know anything", she informed me.

(I told you I liked my trashy shirt. Paired with this favorite gray ruffled cardigan, it's my stay-at-home-day uniform. I have a lot of stay at home days; It's a very clear edict in my Homebody Code.)

Extreme Close-Up

Alright, it's not that close but you can still see some emerging lines around my eyes indicating I am starting to show my age. I got my hair cut at GreatClips-my 'salon' of choice, or rather, of necessity-the other night. I have had a different person every time I have been there and I liked her the best. My hair is especially funky this time, going every which way and I love it. I am not at my best here since this was post- girl's bedtime, no makeup applications since first thing this morning, 2-day hair...But still it feels me, and I love that especially at a time when my current weight and wardrobe doesn't really allow me to show myself through my clothes and overall appearance. Next up: crazy color. She said she's come to my house and do it for $20 plus the cost of color! I want to bleach out some small sections and do a strong color- suggestions? I'm thinking pink. Maybe red. Just enough to feel funky and fun, not enough to look bizarre or like I'm striving for a pre-motherhood life. I haven't done any fun colors since I've had kids but before that I tried just about everything. Off the top of my head: almost-black, brown, RED red, coppery with blond streaks, brown with blue streaks, blond with pink streaks, blond, BLOND, brown with large bleached panels... there's more I'm sure. It feels good to feel me.

Today...

I'm rockin' the faux hawk.

'Do

I'm short on time since Timm wants his coveted laptop, but I have to post these pictures of a 'do i gave Bella a few weeks ago. She was very cooperative for the whole venture until I wanted to document it with photos. Then she turned sullen.
First was the little twists I knotted all over her head. I thought this part was as cute, if not cuter, than the actual result. I put them in wet and we actually kept them in for 2 days because they held up remarkably well.
2 days later, we took them out and got this:
So cute. Love it. Totally doing it again.

Girls are fun.

New

New makeup,
new haircut and
color, new shirt...
Almost makes
me feel like
myself again.
Almost.

Like mother

I just love these ringlets. Her hair isn't curly per se, but wavy like mine is. It has the exact same texture as my hair too. When I was 3, my ponytails also formed these perfect ringlets. I don't do anything to style them that way, except sometimes wrap it around my finger because I like to. However, she may not love the wavy texture of her hair when ponytails aren't befitting her age anymore. Til then- cute!

Weather Report

So apparently I am slightly obsessed with my new hair. It's been a week tomorrow, but I am still marveling at my newfound freedom and weightlessness, wondering what ever possessed me to grow my hair, and what on earth (besides money) kept me from cutting it sooner! So forgive me for posting again about my hair, but I was pleasantly surprised today when I let it air-dry for the first time. This could be a sweet deal, especially with the summer heat on it's way to keep me from wanting to heat style, battling the imminent humidity, and ease for once the baby comes. Sweet. I love washing me hair now. So short. Love it.
And here is video of one more reason to move to North Carolina, besides the fact that Charlotte was just named the #1 city in the country to live in! (See article)



Correction: It is hail, not sleet. Still pretty cool.

Next Day 'Do.

For the record: i DO have a fat face, as I have a fat everything right now. I am just highly skilled at creating illusions with my lighting, positioning and angles. But thanks anyway.

Warning: Graphic Images

That is, if hair grosses you out like it does me. I don't even know what possessed me to grow my hair out in the first place. There are several key factors, all against long hair: my constant over-heated temperature. My wavy, thick hair + laziness + overheating, equaling a refusal to blow dry it, especially in hot and humid conditions. The fact that hair grosses me out and I cannot stand to find it anywhere, even if it is my own. Still, I have been growing it since Bella was born, exactly 3 years next Tuesday. The result was this:
You can't quite tell how long it is here, but is was at least half-way down my back. A good marker was my bra in the back. That's where it reached. I snapped this photo as soon as I took it from the towel, after I combed out massive amounts of it, right before I put it up in a messy up-do for the day. I wore it up-every single day for at least the past year. The longer it got, the less likely I was to ever wear it down.
This is the amount that I comb out every morning. I am not sadistic enough to take a picture of what collects in the shower drain during one shower. It was really quite alarming the clumps that came out. Alarming and disgusting. I HATED it. Every part of this long hair. I don't even usually like long hair on other people, but at least now I can say I tried it.
It all ended today. (Chorus of angels all sporting pixies, bobs, and other short do's.) Somehow I resisted cutting it myself until my sweet grandma sent me some cash and I called a girl who used to be in my ward who came to my house.
So here we go. It's pretty much what I had it mind, so even though I'm not thrilled about showing this chubby pregnant face, it's much more flattering than before. And the weight that's gone is divine! I love running my fingers through it. I feel liberated.
She didn't use any product today, so I am anxious to try my own hand at it and see what I can do.
Ah, sweet relief- just in time for summer!