I have had long hair for about 11 years. When I say long I mean all the way down to my butt long.
I would get it trimmed every once in a while but I hated cutting it.
One day my daughter and I were discussing front bangs and I told her how didn’t like them and would never get them.
Before
Of course she had to disagree with me and started browsing through google and trying to find a photo of a woman with straight bangs that I would love.
Now she has this need to convince me that she is right and bangs are rockin’! After about 15 minutes of showing me photos she comes across one and I am immediately in love.
I look over at her and throw her phone back across the room to her waiting hand. Smiling I tell her to call our hair dresser because I am getting my first real hair cut in 11 years. Bangs even! She is more than over joyed!
Before
So after making the appointment and posting on social media for 3 days about how I’m going to take the plunge the day arrives.
I woke up with my hair wrapped around my neck/head for the last time!
No more having to wake up and move my hair to roll over in the middle of the night! No more having to wear hair clips just to bend over and see something.
No more having to hold my head away from chairs and car seats because my hair is too long and I have to keep it up so I don’t sweat to death. No more split ends and not wanting to cut them off. No more hot neck. No more hot back! No more hot sweaty days simply because I didn’t bring a hair tie.
No more having to worry about my hair breaking or making sure I give it nutrients to grow long. No more expensive hair spray to hold a heavy long curl. No more having to use hot rollers twice just to get a curl to stay half the day. No more having to have a hair clip in the shower just to wash it all.
No more smacking people in the face with hair when I move it off my shoulders or when just sitting in a car. No more your hair takes up more room than you in the pool. OMGosh NO MORE LONG HAIR!
Before
I was super excited and way overwhelmed all at the same time. Making such a big life change was CRAZY but I was tired of all that HAIR!
“Maybe part of loving is learning to let go.” ~The Wonder Years
Relationships end for all kinds of reasons–some more logical than others. We did an informal survey of a group of men ages 24 to 50 and asked how their last relationships ended.
Here are a few of their most interesting answers.
Why My Last Relationship Ended: Men Speak Out
“Came home from work to find her gone. No letter, no call, nothing. I had to tell our 16 year son the next morning when he came in from a sleep over. That was 5 days before his 17th birthday. She just up and left to Michigan.” ~Dennis
“I was a dam drunk. I put her through hell and back. I kicked her out. Went and got a fast devorce. Then for awhile I thought what an ass. I turned my self in for recovery. 1 year later when I new I was alot better but still in recovey. Had to find her. Another year later remarried and I’m 3 years sober going on 4 years.” ~Joe
“When I was a freshman in college, I had a crush on a girl… we will call her Karen. We went out a couple times. It never turned into anything romantic, but we became best friends… When I was a junior in college, I started dating a girl… we will call her Tracy. We dated for 9 months… when I was a senior in college, Tracy dumped me and started dating… Karen… the girl I had a crush on my freshman year. Now every time I hear “My Best Friend’s Girlfriend” by The Cars, I cry AND laugh.” ~Kristopher
“I caught my ex in bed with another woman.” ~Josh
Why Relationships End, According to Men
According to AskMen.com, relationships commonly end for a few different reasons; primarily religion, sex, money and kids (or lack thereof).
AskMen suggests the following tips to help keep your relationship healthy.
1- Discuss issues as you go along, as values and wants evolve. 2- Accept the other person for what they are, and don’t expect them to change. 3- Try to understand your woman, rather than argue with her. 4- Keep an informal count to make sure that sacrifices are distributed equally.
eHarmony lists distance as a primary factor in relationships ending, followed closely by “the real self” coming out. It seems that many people are so busy pretending to be something they’re not that when the “real” versions of themselves rear their “ugly” heads, their partners are often shocked and disappointed.
And SheKnows.com says the top two reasons relationships end are incompatibility and cheating.
How about you? What do you think is the top reason for relationships to end? Why did your last relationship end? Share your thoughts, feelings and experiences in the comments section, below.
Narcissism is in the news again. The latest word comes from the Evening Standard, which takes quite an interesting perspective on the topic.
“The self-described pick-up artist Julien Blanc is, by now, an international poster-boy for being a complete and utter prick. Heres a man who boasts of walking around in Japan grabbing the heads of passing women and pulling them towards his crotch: in Tokyo, if youre a white male, you can do what you want. He tweeted a graphic describing the power dynamics of domestic abuse and joked that it was a checklist for #howtomakeherstay. He takes money from credulous boys for boot-camp seminars on how to manipulate women into bed.”
It’s that time of year again. You know, time to start getting your fall and winter wardrobe together. If you’re looking to update your wardrobe and save a few bucks, here’s the skinny on fall and winter fashion 2014 and how to update your wardrobe on the cheap. Y’all know I love a good bargain. And you know there are some rules I just can’t follow.
So let’s get to this. Here are some quick-hit ways you can update your wardrobe this season without killing your budget (or looking outrageously ridiculous).
Hot item of the season:Plaid scarf! According to my research, plaid scarves are it this season. I picked two up in different colors at a local shop for $6 each. You can spend more, of course, but why?
Sad news Pack away the flares. Outside of a few adventurous designers, the runways weren’t giving many nods to jeans that are typically flattering to most female bodies. That means no flares or bootcut jeans. Look for something in a skinny jean, boyfriend jeans, straight leg or tapered. In other words, varying styles of the cigarette pants.
Good news: Leggings are in, and they are more comfortable than ever. Wear them with Spanx or pick up some that have shapewear built in. I won’t tell.
Warm and cozy: Sweaters are back–think full-on argyle and its cousins. For me, there will be no bulky sweaters because they make me look like a small house. Therefore I’ll be donning something a little more figure appropriate (with a nod to the style, of course).
Menswear is here, get used to it: Blazers, collared button-down shirts, menswear-style shoes. Long and loose is where it’s at, according to most designers, but as a short and curvaceous woman, I’ll be breaking that rule too. Instead of big and boxy, I’ll be wearing tailored-style menswear. It makes me look better–and you gotta do what works best for you, regardless of what “they” say!
Other interesting trends of note:
Pointy-toed flats with details–I picked up a $10 pair of flats that have a design made of rhinestones on them and they are fabulous. Spent only $10 because they’ll be out within a month or two, I’m sure.
Long gloves or super short gloves
Decorated/bedazzled gloves
Fur-trimmed coats are back
What other fashion trends are you into this season?
I used to weigh more than 100 pounds more than I do today. When you’re as overweight as I used to be, people don’t always look you in the eyes. They make assumptions about you that probably aren’t true, including that you’re lazy and unintelligent.
People who haven’t struggled to get or stay slim don’t understand how it feels, but they are always congratulatory when they find out I’ve lost that much weight, which is nice.
Yeah, life’s definitely different than it used to be.
People are nicer.
Like I said, overweight often equals overlooked. Since I’ve lost the weight, I notice that people people in general are nicer to me. They’re more likely to offer me a hand or to smile at me in the aisle at the grocery store. I’m even more likely to get special discounts and other little goodies the world offers to petite blonde women. Imagine.
Truth? It makes me a little mad. But whatever.
Men are more aggressive.
Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but since I’ve lost the weight, not only do I get hit on more often, but the men (and a few women) have been a LOT more aggressive with their flirtation and attempts to gain my attention. This is mostly flattering but had been annoying/offensive and otherwise displeasing on a few occasions.
My feet are smaller.
I’d always been a size 7w in shoes, but after my second child was born, I found myself in a size 8w. I told myself it was related to the pregnancy, but interestingly, after I lost the weight, my feet quickly returned to their original size. (Score! An excuse to go shoe shopping!)
I can feel my bones.
Not like I’m super skinny, but for years, I didn’t even know I had hip bones. Now, I can feel them. A weird thing to note (if you’ve never been overweight!)
I’m not perfect.
A lot of us think crazy stuff like, “if I could just lose 100 pounds, I’d be almost perfect! My weight is the bane of my existence!”
Truth? You’re going to be just as messed up when you’re done losing the weight–on the inside. So, in my case, I’m still evolving, and my guess is that I’m not alone. So I’m OK with not being perfect. Instead I work on being a perfect (read: best possible) version of myself in any given moment.
Sitting is better. So is standing. And everything else.
Not only can I pretzel myself into nearly any position, but I can sit comfortably almost anywhere–including on my husband’s lap. And I can do just about anything I want with my body–I dig that. A lot.
I love my husband more, because I know he loves me for REAL.
See, when married me, I was 100 pounds heavier than I am now. And he still loved me and wanted to be with me.
No one else in the world can ever take his place, because I know for sure he loved me through some of the most unattractive years of my life. That is a beautiful trait to find in a man, no?
FASHION! Yep.
Listen, there are some really great designers out there who make out plus sized sisters look amazing. Unfortunately for me, being only 5′ tall was working against me.
Some women can totally rock the plus size look, but for me? I wasn’t pulling it off. So after losing the weight, my ability to wear and buy what I want has made life way more fun. And since I can now wear the day, s and m sizes depending on the outfit, I can get some really great deals on the clearance racks. ( Around here, there are always leftovers in the little sizes).
I also shop the juniors section for some stuff. It’s cheaper and for trendy items, works well with some pieces.
I still have to watch what I eat and pay attention to my body.
It’s not a freaking cakewalk, people. IF you have been overweight, then you may once again go there if you’re not careful. It’s a matter of monitoring yourself closely and of CHANGING YOUR HABITS. That means it can’t just be a “temp” fix–you’ve got to be in this thing for the long haul. So go ahead and have a little chocolate if you need it–but don’t be crazy about it! Keep your serving size reasonable and make up the calories elsewhere.
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Jan. 2014 Weight Loss Update: 100+ Plus Loss Maintained, Continued
“Maybe part of loving is learning to let go.” ~The Wonder Years 
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