Haircut!

I got my hair cut about a week ago.  I'd been planning on it for a while, but I finally decided to get it done this past week.  I went up to the Youth Conference in Appleton, WI and one of my friends there is in cosmetology school.  We got to talking about it over ice cream and we decided to just do it the next day during the 4 hour sports/fellowship break.

For some background, here is what my hair looked like LAST spring.  I got it cut just before I went to London.  I got side bangs and layers and all that jazz.  I thought it was SO short.  haha.  Yeah, no I see what my friends were saying.  It's not short. :-)

 Spring 2012

Summer 2012 - right before London

 Winter/Spring (It can't seem to decide, and it's May!) 2013

It grew probably 5+ inches in almost a year.  Time for something a little more drastic!

Summer 2013

These are my best friends Emily and Kara.  We always dress Indian on Sundays when I visit. :-) Sometimes it's chudidars and more recently it's been saris.  I love them.  LOVE them. 

Still getting used to the shorter bangs and the feel, but I do really like it.  I can still wear it any way I want, but ponytails are so incredibly fun!

It swings and bounces like you wouldn't believe.  

Just barely layered.  I love it!

P.S. Self portraits are really awkward.

For My Mom

Dear Mom,

For all the late nights, tears, headaches, aches, & pains;

I thank you.

For all the songs, stories, rhythms, encouragements & books read aloud;

I thank you.

For all the dances, hugs, back-rubs, massages, ring-around-the-rosies, tickles, & tumbles;

I thank you.

For all the homework helps, smiley faces, challenges, successes & book-learning;

I thank you.

For all the favorite meals, snacks, & bandaids on my boo-boos (or stitches my face);

I thank you.

For all the craft skills, tea parties & dress-up clothes;

I thank you.

For your honesty and openness, not only of your home but of your heart; for loving my Daddy and showing my what a godly marriage looks like; for your quickness to forgive and ask forgiveness, for your spontaneity; for your grace; for your passion; for being a doer; for being a try-er; for falling down and picking yourself right back up; for always believing in me;

Mom, you're the best

No, seriously.  You're the coolest Mom in the history of moms.

Even when you fail at using pop slang the right way or sing at the top of your lungs in the middle of the grocery store parking lot.

Even though I haven't told you everyday or even every week or month I can start now:

I love you!

I love you mum, and I hope one day I can be as awesome of a mom as you are.

Thank you for not giving up.

Thanks for being mine.

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: quinze

AWKWARD

• The above photo.  Windblown bangs (ick) and sleepy eyes.  Somethings just don't need to be documented.
• It's Friday.  :-)
• Well, nothing really awkward happened recently.  Actually, I ALWAYS have trouble coming up with awkward things that have happened to me.  I guess my brain just forgets them or I just don't get embarrassed very easily...

Sammi and I found this awesome camera but neither wanted to spend $25 on it and have it clutter our rooms without a purpose. :-) So take a picture with it.

AWESOME

• I was truant yesterday.  Yes, the studybug has admitted it.  I didn't do a lick of studying yesterday.  Pretty gutsy considering I have two big CLEP tests coming up, but I was SO demotivated and it was raining.  Rain brings on my creativity and makes me happy.  So I sewed and designed all day yesterday.  It was truly awesome.
• Garage saleing with Sammi. :-)  I spent under $5 and got my new favorite pair of jeans($.50), A pair of earrings ($.50), a belt ($1), a scarf ($.50), The Poky Little Puppy($.25), and a cardigan($2). And mum bought me a fine umbrella ($2) and some sewing related things so I could make the family cloth napkins.  On top of all that I got to hang with Sammi.  Awesome-possum.
• Late night chats and prayers with friends.
• I bought my plane tickets to Colorado!  I'm interning with IPS and then hanging with the Christians down there for a week in September.  Fun stuff.
• Thankfulness.  Service.  Love.  Christian Living.  God is good, folks.  God is so incredibly good, even when I feel terrible or stressed out.  He is good and he knows.
• Cleaning.  Making a mess disappear is so invigorating.  Had I learned it sooner it would have saved me much hassle. ;-)
• Finding some incredible new photoshoot locations!  I'm looking forward to a nautical inspired fashion shoot maybe...Maybe I can rope the guys into participating as well!  Oh, summer, summer, wherefore art thou filled with school!
• Jamie is home!  I only get to hang with him for 3 weeks before he goes and does grown-up things like intern in New York for the summer, so I'm soaking it up. I'm so proud of that kid.
• Rest and quiet.  I love, love, love hospitality but sometimes it is nice to just chill with the fam and not have to say anything.  To just sit at the kitchen table and study together, or go for hours without talking out loud.  To swing, and meditate, and create, and just wait.  This is my heartcry today.

"Return, O my soul, to your rest;

    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you."

Psalm 116:7