Down to business! Let's start with a Locks of Love update. My hair has officially gone from long to "Wow, you're hair is so long". And I am chomping at the bit to cut it all off!! Ryan is very particular about my hair and he really likes it long (though not quite this long, I don't think, haha) so he made me promise I wouldn't cut it above my shoulders. That's fine with me...except that it means the total length has to be that.much.longer. So, I measured from my collar bones, which is the length I plan to get it to, so I could see how many inches I had to grow. Just over ONE people!! ONE!! So, I set my next cut & color appointment for March and will do "The Big Chop" then. The end is in sight!!!! Can you tell how happy that makes me?! Don't get me wrong, I love my hair long...sometimes I even love it this long, but it's so hard to take care of! I wear it curly sometimes, but the longer (and heavier) it gets, the less pretty the curl is. So, I usually straighten it...which is a task. So, if you've done the math you know, the longer the hair, the more time and effort I have to put into it. And I'm over it, haha. Enough rambling...here is an update pic of the progress!
Sorry it's a little pixely.
On to Christmas! (This one is going to be a picture-free post because I don't have my camera with me.) This year we decided to do things a little differently. Every year we feel so rushed to get everything and everyone squeezed in that we end up blinking and Christmas is over. So, we decided to really spread it out and spend some time on Christmas alone. Just the two of us.
Here's how it all went down:
Christmas really started on the 22nd for us, when my Mom, Frankie, Ryan & I drove into Dallas to have dinner with my cousin Mike, his wife Kim, his amazing kiddos Steel & Akina, my Aunt Suzie & Uncle Frank, cousin John and Gam. It was so nice spending some time with them, while Suzie, Frank, John and Gam were all in town from TN.
One the 23rd, we went to Ryan's parent's after work for Christmas with them. We had a lovely dinner, great conversation and opened gifts. It was so nice to not be rushed...we could just relax and enjoy their company instead of checking the clock.
On Christmas Eve day, Ryan & I woke up and drove down to Stein's bakery in Dallas to pick up the Christmas Tree coffee cake - a tradition for Frankie & I growing up. After, we ran a few last minute errands then went to my Mom's. She is an awesome cook and pulled out ALL the stops for dinner this year. It was so, so good. There is just something about eating the food you grew up on that makes you feel so...HAPPY! (And full!) After dinner we went to church, then came home and played domino's. (I won...in case you wondered.) Then we packed up and Ryan & I went home for the night.
Christmas morning, we slept in (which is about 8am for us), got up, showered and headed back to my Mom's to open presents and stockings. (She only lives about 7 minutes away.) Oh, and eat our Christmas Tree coffee cake, of course. :) Then...an amazing thing happened...we spent the rest of Christmas at home, curled up on our couch, watching Christmas movies. It was wonderful. We realized that our days of mellow Christmases are numbered as we move closer and closer to the days of children, so we fully enjoyed our quite, low-key, "just the two of us" Christmas night. :)
The next day, the 26th, we celebrated with my Dad and his family. Frankie, my Dad, his wife Donna and her kids, Clancy and Ben, came over to our apartment mid-afternoon. We exchanged gifts with my Dad then went out to eat!
I felt so loved, so blessed, so lucky this Christmas. And now...we look ahead to 2011. We are so excited to see what it holds for us...
Merry Christmas & A Happy, Healthy New Year!
love it!!!! so glad you're doing locks of love. i did it a few years ago, and the actual CHOP was a little scary, but the bob (i couldn't go shoulder-length for the EXACT reasons you listed!) was pretty cute. just has taken forever to grow back!!! sounds like christmas was really special, and i'm happy for yall! have a baby before next christmas, k? :-)
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