Hair Inspiration!

Now that my hair is finally (finally!) beginning to grow out a bit, I'm trying to figure out what the heck to do with it next.  I'm thinking of cutting the sides a little shorter again and letting the top keep growing longer... but I'm not sure where to go from there!  I've been pinning things on Pinterest for some inspiration...

I just found this one (above) today - I LOVE IT.  Super freakin' cute - I love the super short sides with the long hair combed forward.  So awesome.

I just love Ginnifer Goodwin's short lil' haircut - super friggin' cute.  I don't know if I could pull off how short she keeps the sides though...

And this one I'm SO INTO.  Big time - I think it's my favorite.  My bangs aren't nearly this long yet, but they're getting there.  Maybe if I could just get it shaped this way it could grow out looking rad!  I just love the choppy brushed-forward look - it's messy and kind of rock & roll, and kind of fantastic.

Any thoughts / suggestions?  :)

All images found via pinterest. 

St. Baldrick's Event - We shaved our heads!

Well, this weekend we did it!! 

Just a reminder - here is what we drove to Durango for, and why. :)

Taryn and I packed up some things (along with John), got up at the butt crack of dawn on Saturday (her birthday), and drove about 7 hours down to Durango.  It was a beautiful drive - the Aspens have started changing and they were all beautiful yellows & oranges scattered through the evergreens.  It was gorgeous!

We stopped at a tiny diner along the way (I think it was called Rooster's Crow or something), and got some coffee and breakfast, and a cinnamon roll the size of my head.

After breakfast we were back on the road again!

A nice "we still have hair" shot, with our big huge coffee mugs.  It was a bit chilly that morning!

John, contemplating breakfast with a beard scratch.

When we arrived in Durango, we decided to stop for a quick beer and some snacks.  We went to Steamworks, which had some pretty amazing beer!  Taryn even got a free drink because it was her birthday.  Win!  I had their Oktoberfest beer - it was absolutely fantastic.

Then we headed down to the center of town (it was such a beautiful & super cute area - I am now a fan of Durango for sure!), and we found out that it was Oktoberfest that day!  How fun!

John and Taryn - striking a pose at Oktoberfest!

Sisters & sunglasses!

We realized we were pretty pooped, so we got checked into our hotel and took naps.  My dad arrived shortly after (he rode his motorcycle down to spend the weekend with us), and after we all got cleaned up we headed to the Irish Embassy where the big event was going down!  We had to have some dinner first - I got their fish & chips (probably the best fish & chips I've ever had), and we all enjoyed some drinks.

They had an amazing Irish band there that struck up in song towards the end of our dinner.  They were awesome!  They had violinists, a guitar player, a flute player, a woman on the keyboard - and even an accordion!  They were so much fun!

Shortly after that - the head-shaving began!!

Taryn went before me...

John thought she looked like Tank Girl in this shot - haha!  Look at that smile! :)

Just about done! 

My turn!  I was a little freaked out at first - had some butterflies in my tummy, and a moment of "what the hell am I doing!?"  But it was awesome.  And the band played a little jig in the background while each of us were shaved.

Off it comes!

Taking off the last few bits!

Oh my gosh - it's all gone!  Ha!

It was so sweet because he gave us a special little shout out and had us tell our story.  They were thrilled about how much money our team had raised - over $3,600!  They even gave a shout out to our team member that couldn't be there (Megan) - Taryn told the guy that she was our "friend in Derby", and he thought she said "friend in Germany" - so that was pretty hilarious.

Here is Megan's lovely finished product!  She rocks it!

And here are the "after" pictures for Taryn & I!

John's hairier than I am now!  Haha!
He was so supportive of this whole thing - it only made me love him more.  Such a great guy. :)

Taryn got a free car-bomb for her birthday.  It was her first!  And after the hangover, probably her last... ha!

Such a happy girl!

Us with some of the other ladies that got their heads shaved that night - such amazing women!  They were fantastic!

Our new Scottish / Irish / English friend Richard - he told us jokes & stories, and his friend Roy was awesome too.  We had a really wonderful night!

This is one of my favorite pictures of the evening too - before & after!  Ha!

The next day we had some breakfast at the hotel, and made the long drive back to Denver (rubbing our heads in amazement).

All-in all it was a wonderful experience.  I'm so glad I did it, and that we could help such a great cause.  THANK YOU to everyone who made our team so successful, and who supported us in this endeavor!  You are all SO amazing, and my heart was so happy with love that I thought it would burst.

And by the way, showers are an absolute breeze.  :)

St Baldrick's - Head Shaving Event (UPDATE X2: We have a 3-person TEAM!)

My little sister is doing something pretty awesome for her 30th birthday. 

She found out that the St Baldrick's Foundation (which provides funding for kid's cancer research), is doing a head-shaving event to help raise money for their cause - on her actual birthday.  So instead of asking for gifts this year, she decided to raise money for the foundation and get her head shaved. 

For kids with cancer. 
How awesome is that? 

So we're making a little party of it, and going to Durango for the event that weekend!  It's going to be tons of fun, and who knows?  Maybe I'll be inspired to do the same myself.  Crazy, right??  Haha! 

I have always said that I wanted to shave my head at some point in my life.  Just to say that I did it.  And although I love my hair and have so much fun with it, it will grow back.  Probably much healthier too!  It'd be a clean start. 

I was also looking at their website, and so far this year 47,335 men have shaved their heads for the cause, and only 6,805 women have done the same.  Which is AWESOME, but c'mon ladies!  Let's up the ante a bit! :)  I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that the female donors are significantly less - our society has a lot of trouble accepting women with very short hair (especially a shaved head).  But can you imagine living out your adolescence without hair??  That already-awkward stage of your life would be even more difficult to handle.  So why not show those kids that not having hair is COOL!?  

Sometimes people can be so vain about their hair.  Heck, I'm guilty of it myself!  It's one thing to look nice, but to pay hundreds of dollars every month / every other month for a professional dye job?  Thousands of dollars for extensions?  (Sorry, Angela - I had to say it!  I still love you just the way you are). :)  Even the cost of hair products, trims, home hair-dyes (which screw up the environment anyway), just seems like a waste of money and time.  Aren't there better things to spend our money and time on?  

Those are all of the things I'm thinking of here.  Not that I'd go bald forever mind you, but once?  Why not?  
And really, women are so beautiful even without their hair.  Allow me prove that point... 

Mena Suvari - still stunning!

Alek Wek - love her big huge smile.

I'm sure everyone remembers when Natalie Portman shaved her head on-screen for V for Vendetta.  She totally rocks it!

This is a beauty queen that shaved her head to support cancer research - how great is that?

This is one lady who actually shaved her head for St Baldricks!  Pretty awesome,  huh?  She totally rocks it too.

Eve Salvail - you might recognize her from a bit part she had in The Fifth Element.  Gorgeous! 

Throughout my search I found MANY many more beautiful women with shaved heads.  They're everywhere!! Oh and of course, all of the ladies (and guys) that donated their hair to this cause! 

I actually had a boyfriend once that told me in all seriousness that if I shaved my head he would break up with me.  Can you believe that?  Apparently my external beauty was more important to him than my internal beauty.  Needless to say, we aren't together anymore.  My current boyfriend's feelings on the matter? 

Me: "I'm thinking of shaving my head for that event my sister is doing..."
John: "Heck yeah!  Do it!"

Love this guy.

Here is Taryn's profile page if you want to make a donation.  Even just $5 helps - that's one Starbucks coffee - you can give that up one morning for kids with cancer, right?  :)

All pictures found on Pinterest or google image search (except the picture of my sister)

UPDATE:
After thinking more and more about what an awesome thing my sister is doing, and thinking more & more about where I am in my life right now - I have decided to join her efforts!  Not just with fundraising support, but we are now a TEAM, and we're BOTH getting our heads shaved!!  I'm so freakin' excited. 

Here is a link to my personal page, and our team name is "Taryn it UP!"

Please support us in this cause to fight childhood cancer! :) 
THANK YOU!! 

UPDATE X2:
Apparently this has gotten bigger than I'd ever imagined!!  My lovely co-blogger / derby wife, Megan, has also decided to join our team and have her head shaved too!!  WOWZA!! 

Our friends have been completely amazing in our fundraising efforts, and we've already raised over $1k to help the cause.  I'm in awe. :)  Please keep it coming - and spread the word too!  I would love it if our team made it to the $2k mark - or even surpassed it.  How completely exciting.    
 

New Bobbed Hair Cut (with bangs, of course)!

Well, I finally did it!  

I got my hair all chopped off - and I LOVE IT!! 

It was one of those cuts where I left the salon with a spring in my step, and a smile on my face.  It was so liberating to finally get all of my cruddy ends removed, and have the hair off my neck and shoulders.  It's wonderful!! 

Here are some more pictures, and one from the back too.  She added some layers towards the bottom so that I could wear it curly (which I can't wait to try). 

Yeah, I'm pretty darn happy about it! :D  Haha! 

In case you're curious, I went to Leah at the Grand Salon in downtown Denver.  She was AWESOME, and I'd highly recommend her.  Not only was she super sweet and nice, but she is crazy talented!  

I am so excited that I'm starting off my weekend this way.  Hope you all have a wonderful Friday too! 

XO

My 2012 New Year's Resolutions - HALFWAY POINT

Hey gang! 

Remember all of those goals I posted about accomplishing in 2012?  Well I thought I'd post about how I'm doing so far!  Mostly just to keep myself on track.... :) 

Here goes! 

Lose 40 pounds (and keep it off!)  - working on it!!  I’m down 15 pounds at the moment.  WOOT!  But really, I'm pretty darn OK with not meeting this goal.  I love my body, and I need to stop worrying so much about the scale.  I need to focus on eating right and exercising regularly!  On that note... 

Exercise at least 5x a week  - I have been kicking BUTT at this!  Even if it's just going for a long walk or something, I feel like I've been SO much better about moving every day.  Just need to keep it up! 

Not purchase any cheese or dairy from the grocery store all year (no butter, cream cheese, or anything like that either – unless it’s vegan, and I absolutely require it) – Yeahhhhh....this one has been a total failure.  Haha!  I went about 3 months, then caved.  But I’ve certainly been buying vegan cheese more than regular!  

 
Visit my grandma in Erie  - DONE!  Booyah! 

 
Find a new job that I love  - sigh, still working on this.  Slowly but surely… I’ve had 6 interviews so far that went amazing, but still no offer yet (well, I did have one that I turned down for personal reasons).  It’ll happen – I just have to keep plugging along!  Fingers crossed that it will happen soon! 

 
Find a way to SING more!  On stage, with a choir, karaoke, open mic – I don’t care, but I want to do it a lot more!  - Gotta get on this one more too… I’ve done some karaoke nights, and I sung the anthem at a couple of derby bouts (and am scheduled to do another in July).  It’s going, but I need to get on this more somehow!

Pay off ANOTHER credit card – I’m SO CLOSE to getting there!  SO CLOSE!  

Start a garden / growing my own herbs & food – Herbs yes, food is coming too!  Our zucchini and cucumber plants are doing AMAZING!  I am hoping to get the beets and broccoli planted soon as well.

Rally the troops (my friends & family) and make a crazy huge donation to a charity (whether with food, money, supplies, or with our time).  Preferably do this with at least 2 charities.   - Whoa!  I kinda forgot about this one.  WHOOPS!  Better get on it! 

 
Make more of an effort to dress more fashionably.  I sometimes fall into a pattern of being a bit too relaxed with my day-to-day wear since I can wear whatever I want to work.  I want to look GOOD (which in turn will make me feel good!)  - Definitely been kicking ass at this one too!  I feel pretty awesome about it, and I've been getting more creative with my outfits, and really rockin' my personal style.  Go me! 

 
Remind myself daily that what I choose to eat directly corresponds to how I feel, how I look, and the world around me. - Yep, that's been going pretty well too.  Not every single day, but I am reminding myself of that. 

 
Run a 10k (without stopping) - Well, I was doing pretty good with the 5k goal!  Ha!  I need to get back into this as well - I do miss running.  I've been walking a LOT (which I really enjoy), but I'd love to get back on track with running.  It's such a liberating feeling to just run run run!

Take a vacation - Not yet!  But John and I are hoping to take some kind of tropical vacation before the end of the year... :)  SO excited... 

 Why, no - I wouldn't mind going somewhere just like this!!

So there you have it!  I still have a ways to go, but luckily I have another 6 months to figure that out... here's hoping I can stay on track! 

----

On a completely unrelated note, I am thinking about something like this for my next haircut (when I go short again).... 

I've been pinning like crazy all kinds of fun hairstyles like this!  Whaddaya think!? :) 

All images found on Pinterest.  'Cause it's AWESOME over there! 

More Curly Hair FUN!

Hope you all had a VERY fun and safe 4th of July!  The day off mid-week totally screwed me up (I kept thinking it was Sunday all day long), but we managed to party our socks off, and now I'm exhausted.  Luckily we're in for a fun-filled camping weekend - and I can't wait to get away!  But other than that...

...I've been having some hair-styling fun lately! 

After watching the Victory Rolls tutorial again (that I posted here - it's at the very bottom), I decided that I just wanted to have some fun with curls.  SO that's exactly what I did! 

I have been getting so many compliments on my hair when I style it like this - and it's actually pretty darn easy!  It's also GREAT to do when you don't feel like washing your hair.  :) 

I just section my hair in half - and put up the top portion.  I start in the front and work my way around curling small pieces (just like she does in the video).  I carefully hold on to each curl as I drop it from the curling iron, then clip the curl in place.  

I finish by doing the top section, and lightly spraying my hair all over with hairspray.  

I let them cool for about 10 minutes or so (usually that's when I eat my breakfast), then carefully remove all of the clips.  

I gently finger-comb them out, and....

 ...VOILA!  Beautifully curly hairs! 

(yes, I cleaned my mirror AFTER taking this shot.  Sheesh, you'd think I'd learn from last time!)

I love how full it makes my hair look, and it's just super fun to swish around!  I'm totally getting the hang of making the curls too (it takes a little practice), and I'm getting faster & faster.  The curls stay in ALL DAY which is SO awesome!  I never thought I could make that work!  Although I did realize they don't stay in if you have to wear a full-face helmet (as I do when I ride my scooter).  They will flatten right out - just a warning! 

OH, and just so you know what I'm working with - I have thick, coarse, naturally wavy, dry hair.  I'm sure this style would work great with fair hair, but you may have to use a bit stronger hairspray.  As far as thick, naturally straight hair goes - I have no idea if this will work.  I know that it's very hard to hold curls with thick straight hair, but hey, it's worth a shot! :)

My first SOCK BUN!

I have been seeing the Sock Bun everywhere lately - on Pinterest, my friend Alyson's Farm Blog (her hair is fantasitcally long, and she rocks the sock bun like no other, I swear), YouTube, etc... it's a sensation! 

It's pretty darn easy to do as well!  I thought I'd give it a try this morning since it's been so hot, and get my hair outta my face for the day.  I LOVE the way it turned out! 

 Oh my, that mirror is dirty!  Haha!  Please ignore my lack of cleanliness there.

It was my first try, so it's certainly not perfect, but I'll keep practicing.  I just love that the added oomf from the sock makes it look like I have more hair than I actually do.  Pretty rad.  

Here are a couple of good videos to watch for tutorial (the one for Mr. Kate is absolutely hilarious - she's crazy, and totally cute).  

YAY for fun new hairstyles!  

I keep wanting to cut my hair short again, but it's so much fun to be able to change up my current longer style.  It's a blast!