Blossom? No thanks.

Last week, I went from

this...

to....

this!

10 inches of hair. GONE. It was fittingly dramatic, with my hair stylist asking me "Are you SURE you want to do this?" as her scissors were poised above my ponytail. I closed my eyes and gave the go ahead. I wanted a change. And when Andrew told me my hair was slowly beginning to look like Mayim Bialik of Blossom fame, before her What Not To Wear Makeover, I realized it was time (The fact that he made this reference, and knew what he was talking about...is another concern entirely).

    I didn't cry in her chair. I didn't cry on my ride home. But when my Mom gave me a shocked, surprised look when I met her at Chili's for dinner..I went into the bathroom and sobbed. I had instant hair regret & wanted my 10 inch ponytail to be somewhere OTHER than my jacket pocket. However, I got over my shock and now love my hair. It's easier to take care of & always looks styled. There is also no cop out of throwing my hair in a ponytail, so I have to make myself presentable in the morning. The best part?

 Those 10 inches are being donated to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. I had originally planned to donate to Locks of Love, but have recently changed my mind for several reasons. First of all, Locks of Love is SO well-known, they receive donations in excess. So much so, that they often sell hair to wig-makers and use the money to run their organization. I couldn't imagine my hair being sold by a wig-maker, who would in turn use it for profit. The majority of Locks of Love wigs go to children with alopecia, a disease that causes children to lose their hair. This is a wonderful cause to donate to, but cancer has touched my life so personally that this is the cause I truly wanted to support. Also, I have heard from several sources that Locks of Love wigs for children are not free, but sold on a sliding-fee scale based on the family's income. This bothered me. So after some research, I am donating to Pantene who is partnered with the American Cancer society and gives FREE wigs to adult women with cancer.  I learned, after I had made this decision, that this is most likely the way that my grandmother got her wig. When my grandfather told me how proud she would have been of me & how much it meant to her to be able to have the confidence that came with that wig-- I could not have care less what my hair looked like. It was worth it. 

In other exciting news-- my two newest cousins, Thomas Riley O'Halloran & Teagan Patricia O'Halloran were welcomed into the world on Wednesday. My heart melted into a giant puddle when I saw those two little peanuts snuggled up in one bassinet. There is not a more breathtaking sight in the whole world than a newborn baby. So much innocence, sweetness, hope...I truly believe there is nothing purer or more precious. And the snuggles- I have been baby hog extraordinaire, going to visit everyday, just to fill my snuggle-quota. My busy girl has no time for snuggles, so I was glad to have some surrogates. I'm so glad Gracie is going to have all these cousins close in age to her- so much fun!

All in all- a BUSY week. I'm officially on spring "break"..

This is my to-do list.  Relaxing, huh?