Another Blatantly Narcissistic Post About My Hair

Wow - I was shocked (shocked I tell you!) at how many comments I got on my recent hair post. I feel so loved! (...unless you were just subtly trying to tell me that my hair style totally sucked and I needed to change it - pronto!)

Either way, I was very glad for the advice, and finally made up my mind. So, thanks for all the suggestions!

Now it's time for the big unveiling - drum roll please......

Is it just me, or are my eyes kind of creepy in this picture? At least my hair looks good ;)

Ta da!

I went for the in-between cut, slightly shorter in the back and layers around the face (although, the mullet was tempting...).

Admittedly, I don't love it, but I do like it a lot! I'm sort of lamenting not getting bangs, but I know in a few weeks time I'd be frustrated with them.

Also, it does look almost exactly how my hair looked before getting snipped - just 5 inches shorter - which is kind of anti-climatic after waiting over 365 days. But, it is a style that works me and I can still pony-tail it for running and bad hair days. So, all in all, I'm a happy camper.

As a side note, my super thrifty self is pleased that I ended up not getting charged for the blow dry. The girl who conditioned my hair (no shampoo, because I pre-wash with BS LJ before going to the salon) didn't wash it all out. My hair was a tad on the greasy side for the rest of the day, but hey, I saved $13!! I'll consider that a win any day :D

And, just for kicks and giggles, here is a completely unrelated, yet absolutely adorable, photo of Phoebe from this weekend:

Happy Monday!

I Hate Running - Log 5: Back in the Game

This post is going to be short and sweet!

My knee is feeling great and my new Asics are lovin' on my feet. I got back into my running routine this week with wonderful results.

I was worried that I'd be back to square one, after two weeks sans running, but I am excited to report that I picked up right where I left off. I only ran twice this week, but both times I was able to run for 2 minutes and walk for 2. The last week that I ran, I was running 1.5 and walking 2, so I'm right on track. I also found a better loop around my neighborhood with far less hills, which has been a big help.

And for little more good news: I lost another 4.5 pounds this week! That is a grand total of 7. I'm feeling pretty stoked :)

For the week ahead, and I will be working on running for 2.5 and walking walking 2.

Men!

Phone conversation with my husband, 3:30 this afternoon:

Dan: Hey, are you going to your thing tonight?

Me: Yeah, we're meeting in Collegeville at 6:00. I'll probably be home around 9:00.

Dan: Ok, well, while your out, can you pick up toothpaste? And, uh, do you need any other bathroom stuff?

Me: Um, no... I guess I'll just swing by CVS on my way home so I don't forget.

Dan: Ok, well, can you also pick up my body wash? ...Actually, I wanted to wait until after you get home so I can make you a list of things you can pick up while you're out.

Me: Wait a second... If I'm already busy tonight, why don't you go get the stuff?

Dan: Because I'm fat and lazy...?

Me: (silence)

Dan: Ok, you're right. I'll go. Love you!

Me: Good answer. Love you, too.

Top 2 Tuesday: Summer!

I did one Top 2 Tuesday and then kind of fell off the wagon. But, I'm back on board this week :)

I love this week's topic: Top 2 Favorite Things About Summer!!

I could easily write a very lengthy list, but I've boiled it down to the two of the things that I've been pining for since January. They're kind of generic, but that's ok. It just means that they're more all-encompassing.

1. The Weather!

Call me crazy, but I love, love hot weather - up in the 80's and 90's. I love wearing tank tops and flip flops (or even better- being bare foot), I love being outside, I love having the windows open, and filling the apartment with fresh air. It's been such a horrid winter, I'll even welcome the humidity this year.

2. Vacations!

Ok, so I realize that you can take a vacation anytime during the year, but they sure are much easier to take over the summer months. We are planning at least one trip to upstate NY to camp, and hopefully we'll be able to squeeze in another. I'm also looking forward to half-day Fridays at work (a mini-vacation - every week! You'll find me poolside with a good book on Friday afternoons), and, of course, weekend beach excursions.

What are your Top 2? Visit the Undomestic Momma to play along!

I'm a Winner!

I must have been one lucky lady last week!

First of all, I won a giveaway from Nen @ Living the Small Town Life. She has a lovely blog that you must check out. She is a loves to sew and gave away an adorable tissue holder (which has already come in handy!) and a matching drawstring bag. Even the package it came in was too cute. I love the little lamb sticker and the Garfield comic wrapping.

Thanks so much, Nen! I love my tissue holder and bag!

In other bloggy news, I was also awarded with the Honest Scrap Award from Sara @ A Note on the Screen Door. Sara has another wonderful, sweet blog about her life, her Prince, and her daughter, Pretty Little Barefeet. Thanks, Sara!

As per the rules of the award, here are 10 honest facts about me:

1. I have three tattoos. An Ichthus on my lower back, a cat laying in flowers on my stomach, and a dove on my left ankle.

2. I was a vegetarian for almost 3 years, from about age 14 - 17. There are weeks when I eat like a vegetarian, and I rarely eat beef.

3. When I first started college, I thought that I was going to major in Japanese. I ended up majoring in Psychology, because I loved my school (which only had a semester and a half of Japanese) and didn't want to transfer.

4. I've had four cars in only 7 years and they've all been named: Fluffykins, Priscilla, Pearl, and Polly.

5. The first thing I ever baked, I made chocolate chip brownies. They're one of my mom's speciality and they are amazing.

6. Chocolate is my favorite food.

7. I own a bowling pin.

8. Wegman's might be my favorite store of all time. I look for any excuse to go the one that was just built in Collegeville. I was even there on opening day (although, that was a big mistake). The store has a flippin' Pub inside of it. A Pub! How cool is that?

9. My favorite movie is Cinderella. At one point, I considered auditioning to be Cinderella in Disney World.

10. Although I love the flavor of coconut, I hate eating coconut. The texture reminds me dead skin. Yuck! I'll stick with Pina Coladas.

There you have it. Now to pass the award along to.

1. Genevieve @ Lil Miss Explorer (she just started her amazing travel blog. There is a ton of fabulous advice for traveling cheap).

2. Amy @ Brain Doodlies

3. Stephanie @ A Grande Life

4. Jena @ Abundance Massage and Doula Blog

5. Amanda @ Welcome to my Life

Make sure you check these guys out!

And lastly, I won this:

Four bottles of Chimay, and six Chimay glasses (I was really hoping to win the $60 gift certificate to Headlight Tatoo, but c'est la vie. Chimay is a pretty darn good prize, too).

Dan and I went to a fundraising dinner and silent auction in dirty Jerz this past Friday to support a great organization called Pet Savers. My SIL is really involved with the group, which helps support programs for companion animals and reduces euthanasia rates at a local animal shelter. It was a ton fun - great food, a great cause, and of course, great prizes!

I Hate Running: Log 4 - Everything But Running

Once again, my running log is going to be lacking in actual running. But, it is about a few things that will help me once I get clearance about my knee.

Thankfully, it is feeling much better. But, I have not yet tried to run on it because I mistakenly thought my doctor's appointment was early last week, but it's not until tomorrow (Monday). If all goes well, I should be up and running again by Wednesday and back on schedule.

I am also looking forward to running next week so that I can test out my new running shoes. Check out these little beauties:

They are Ascis Gel Kahana 3 running shoes. They are made for stability and will hopefully help to correct my over pronation (which I suspect helped contribute to my knee problem). I am so excited to have a real pair of running shoes! (and maybe even more excited that I picked them up for nearly half of their retail price of $75 - sweet!).

As for my "workout" this week I walked for 30-45 minutes for 4 days and added in crunches and push-ups, which I have been doing nightly.

I also made some changes to my diet by upping my water intake (9-10 cups a day), and following a plan that's essentially a hybrid between the knowledge from The Food Lovers Fat Loss system and The Zone (thanks to my good friend Amy @ Brain Doodlies for all the info and advice about these plans! We did not actually order either of these systems, just garnered info from infomercials, books, and the interwebs).

The plan is not what I would consider a "diet". Instead, it's about learning to eat sensibly and get the most out of your meals by having foods that will give you longer lasting energy throughout the day. In a nutshell, I have been striving to eat a "fast carb" (bread, pasta, etc) which gives you quick energy, a "slow carb" (leafy greens, berries, grapefruit, etc.) which gives you long lasting energy, and a protein (chicken, fish, cheese, etc.) that keeps you feeling full, with each meal. I've also been watching portion sizes and having a small, approximately 100 calorie, snack about two hours after each meal to keep my metabolism up.

I love this way of eating because it's practical and it is something that you can do forever because you're eating real food. It's not a fad diet and you don't become dependent on any nasty meal replacement shakes or weird pills.

And the best part? I lost 2.5 pounds!!!

I'm itching to get back into my running routine and I'm sure that fueling my body properly is going to be make a big difference. And, if all goes well at my appointment tomorrow, my running log will have a lot more to do with actual running next weekend.

A Blatantly Narcissistic Post About My Hair

I have a confession: I have not had a hair cut in over year. And man, do I need one... bad. I used to have bangs! I used to have layers! But, now my hair is an unruly, split-end infested blob that, more often than not, gets thrown into a pony-tail and forgotten about.

Why have I let this go for so long? I think it's a combo platter of being my cheap, coupled with the fact that I haven't found a hairdresser in PA yet (well, to be fair, I haven't actually looked for a hairdresser in PA...).

I've decided that it's time. It may not be this week.... but, soon. Very soon. My hair is starting to develop a mind of its own (blonde hair - genetically engineered to be smart!).

Here's the problem. I am on the fence about what to do with it (hence an entire, ridiculous blog post devoted to my hair). Last year when I got it cut, I really got it chopped. Chin-length, bangs, stacked in the back, layers, the whole nine yards. It was fun and sassy. And, I loved it.

(I think this have become my "token short hair photo")

So, why I don't I just get the same cut?

Here's the caveat. Before I was married, my hair was quite long. At least past my shoulder blades. It had face-framing layers. It was a classic, and I could do a lot with it. And, I loved it.

(yikes! Almost forgot about Dan's long hair days)

You can see my dilemma? =P

So, what do I do? The only decision I've made so far is that bangs are out because my hair just grows too dang fast, and I hate keeping up with them. Other that, I'm stuck!

Should I go short, long, in-between (mullet?), or just say screw it all., and get a pink mohawk? Help!