The Next Couple of Blogs....

Well, I'm home. 

Blogging is most definitely not for the faint of heart. This takes effort. I haven't blogged in over a month. And it's not because I don't have anything to say. Its more because I don't have the required "bloggers energy" to put towards sitting down and putting my thoughts into words. That, and I have the daunting task of updating my blog with 4 major posts I have been mosts definitely putting off. Well, nows the time to get started. Except that this isn't one of my 4 major blog posts. It's just a quick recap of my first 2.5 weeks home. 

I got my haircut! None of these pictures really show what it looks like... but thats alright. It's just a quick preview anyway. I had a mullet when I got home! And so, I went to get it all chopped off! It was much needed. I actually really like my hair at this length. And a major plus... I can wear it curly. So that 5 minute fix I have been dying for these past... 7 months is back. Well, its still more of a 10 minute fix. But, that's beside the point. 

My Grandma came to visit me when I got home. I was so lucky! I got to go to lunch with her and my mom. I loved it. I love these two wonderful women. I look up to them SO much. They are two of my greatest examples and I know that I am forever blessed because of their love and support. 

We went bowling as a family. And I loved every second of it. It feels good to be back. I don't always feel like I have a set place. I mean I'm no longer the sister that LIVES at home and goes to school at home. I'm the sister that spends most of her time at school in a state across the country. So, that has taken some getting used to. But, my parent are wonderfully amazing and I know I am always their daughter no matter what state I live in or where I go to school. 

:)

Just bowling as a fam! :)

He's gotten so big!!

I've missed this one! ;)

Family <3

The biggest difference between a mom and a sister... 

Family is what its all about. It was so hard to leave my babies and my friends because so much of the relationship we had was familial. I was the mother/sister to so many of those children and each of the girls I served with had a very special place in my heart. I could not pretend that it was not one of the more trying moments to come and maintain the high and the happiness I had while in Ecuador. In fact... it's been quite hard and continues to be a struggle. But, one of the greatest lessons I learned from my beautiful children is to be happy regardless of your circumstances. They have nothing but the Chicas de OSSO and each other... and somehow the greet every day with a smile. Surely, those of us who have everything, can at least attempt to mirror their happiness at least in a small way.

I love my babies. I love my new friends. I love my old ones. And I most certainly love my family most of all. It's good to be home.

The "not" piecey bangs...

So... my mom doesn't like my bangs when I do them in pieces... or my triangle shaped bangs. In an attempt to please her I tried to make them fluid... one solid bang. As you can tell a few fell down as they naturally seem to do these days! Anyway, I took these in between classes on Tuesday. It was actually in the bathroom on the way to my Human Development class. I know mirror pictures are SO middle school but, they seem to do me the most justice. 

Really, my life's motto goes something like this... "That awkward moment when the mirror says HECK YES. And the camera says OH HECK NO." I will never know why there is such a disconnect. 

Anyway, yes this is a post ALL about my bangs. Peace N' Blessins. 

Sorry in advance for the lack of a serious smiling picture. I think I ended up taking one?! That's alright though... right?

Left side...

Right side..

There's the smile! :)

I think this is the one that the random girl walked in on.... AWKWARD!

National Grunge Month...s?

Winter has come... or has it? It's not exactly a snowy winter wonderland... instead it's like a sunny almost warm with a bitter wind desert. Well, we have had some rain so that is not all entirely true.

However, what IS true is that winter semester is my grunge season. Which is why I find it amazing that I was able to find a boy last winter AND keep him around all semester! It must've been my irresistible charm. (If my mom is reading this... I hope she remembers back to when I first made my blog and she said charming was NOT a word to describe me! ;) hahaha).

Back to William. Just kidding. Back to my inevitable season of the grunge. Which kinda sounds a lot like the scary movie the Grudge... and it does have some resemblance to that plot... just with less Asians, no creepy undead woman shows up in my bed and I am hardly Sarah Michelle Gellar.

It does involve waking up a lot of mornings and MENTALLY putting on a hoodie. But, usually my desire to look semi presentable kicks in and I end up wearing not just actual clothes, but heels or boots instead of my comfortable but, not quite weather appropriate Toms. (Which... if I have any independently wealthy readers out there who could spare some extra change for the Save a Sophia Fund... I need a new pair of those. Mine have 2 giant holes in which my toes stick out. I also want a pair of purple vans. But, I want the Toms for comfy shoes for Ecuador... see next post for more details.)

What I have come to expect as the norm is that the hood of my sweatshirt usually snags on the tail end of January and I'm stuck. I got all these new clothes from Christmas and I have worn them and impressed my bosses and friends with how stylish I am (when all credit really goes to my Mom!) and then my feet get tired of wearing high heeled shoes or low heeled boots and I wake up dreading getting dressed. Not every day by any means because I do love my clothes. Except that with my haircut I feel like an adolescent boy and don't know that I can wear certain styles anymore.. for fear that I look like a man or a lesbian. I think I am going to grow it out. The lady at Aveda gave me a very... "boyish" cut. And because I am too poor to attend a good salon (especially after Ecuador), I think it only best that I grow it out.

Back to that horror season I was telling you about... the Grunge. It is more of a mental grunge. And then I wear something that does in fact look cute and I like it. And I walk out the door with my head held high. And think... well, don't I look cute. That doesn't excuse the fact that for the first 30 minutes of that morning I struggled with thoughts between a cute cardigan and a pull over hoodie.

Today I rebelled. Today I broke records. Today... I wore a pink Oxford hoodie that my mom brought back from England to try and look both girly and cultured. But, that wasn't the real rebellion. I very RARELY if ever wore a tshirt (an actual t shirt) to high school, I think I wore sweats occasionally on exam day but, I NEVER EVER (owned? Except for sports) wore tennis shoes to school. Not once. I had rainbows, flip flops, sandals, ugg boots (2 different pairs), cowboy boots, and flats (which I rarely wear as well). But, I never slid on those tennis shoes and went to school. (Though I was guilty of the hoodie). Today, my boss told me "Not even on my very best day do I look half as good as you on your worst." A few weeks ago she said "You always look so nice." Just last week she said "that is a cute top where did you get it?" Another observation by boss "is your mom really well put together? I could tell from the way you dress."

I lost my train of thought. Basically... I never wear a hoodie to school. My reasoning? I can literally feel my cute clothes glaring at me through my closet doors, from the shelves in the hallway and peeking out from under my bed.

Today, along with that classy pink sweatshirt... I wore tennis shoes. WHAT?! And my feet love me for it. I know. I can hardly believe it either. But, I finally HAVE tennis shoes. And they are cute! And, I work out so they are one less thing to stuff in my bag.

To my fellow women of the world I say... wear those tennis shoes in public. Not everyday. And I probably won't wear them again except at the gym (or to and from or when playing sports). But, wear them. It's weirdly liberating. And with the chopping off of my hair... that seems to be what I am all about!

Spice things up by dressing things down. If I did it... so can you. Well, I guess the only way that is really applicable is if I say... MY MOM DID IT... so can you. So, for now... I'll work on her. And her pristine white tennis shoes that see the black rubber of the treadmill and the inside of her closet.

She's the greatest.

Walk on. (Did you see what I just did there?)

And by dress cute... I mean EXCLUDING dresses and skirts. Those are for Sunday only. Those are much too cold and uncomfortable to walk around in all day.

Hair... again!!

I've been annoying everyone I know by talking about my haircut every second of every day... but, this post is about Kara AND Me!

Kara just got her hair cut... A bob cut! Here is a before and after:

This is Kara before the cut.

After1

After2

She is really hesitant about liking it and can't decide if she likes how it looks or not! She says it is too short... which makes me nervous to cut mine... AH!!

I think it's cute! But, her reaction is going to be somewhat similar to mine I feel like. For awhile I was all gung ho, on the pixie. And now seeing her panic about it being short... let all the butterflies back into my stomach. Help! :)

Another celebrity who went from long to short and total rocks it! ;) even got the man to prove it!!

Hair.

So, here's the deal. I wanna cut my hair. And not just a little cut... a BIG cut. I want to cut it really short. But, I am really debating it. Because what if I look ugly. Or fat. Or ugly and fat. Sure there are worse things than that... but, those are pretty bad things? Right? I dunno.

Anyway, I wanna do it. And I really wanna do it. And I keep telling people that I am. And you know what... I talked to this girl about it the other day. She overheard my concerns of looking ugly, fat or well... like Ellen. Any way moving on, she had a cute pixie cut and said she loved it. She said that there are 2 things I needed to know first:

• Get some earrings. You are your face. You have no hair to hide behind. So, cute earrings are key. I think I need to work on getting more cute earrings. 
• Be prepared to chant. Self esteem doesn't always come in a rich supply for girls. So, there are some mornings where she has to wake up and say to herself "I am pretty. I am pretty. I am pretty." Over and over again. No matter if you're head cheerleader or the girl sitting in the stands (Thanks TSwift for the inspiration) you can relate to waking up with a little less then "average" self confidence. On more than one occasion. Or maybe that's just me. 

Anyway, she also said that you should give yourself 3 reasons why you want to cut your hair. That way, you have those to reflect on. And if anyone says "you had such pretty hair! Why did you cut it!!" You have at least 3 reasons on hand that are honest and important to you. So, here are my 3:

1. Am I only allowed to have short hair when I am a mom? Why can't I cut it now?!
2. It will teach me something new. A few things. First, to appreciate me, for me. Second, to use make up to my advantage. More than I do now. Third, how to do a new style of hair. 
3. My hair has always been relatively long!
4. Who do I have to impress for the next... couple of months/year? No one. 
5. I really really want to.
6. I have a pretty enough face. Right?
7. I want to do something new with my hair. I want to cut it! 
8. It's only hair... it will grow back!

I guess my biggest concerns are these: my face is too round, and my hair is not right for it. So, after I consult with my hairdresser Falon to determine that: my hair is not too curly, frizzy or thick for this cut... and that I won't look like I have a dead rat on my head... Consider it cut. 

Here are some people you may know who can rock a short cut:

Ashley Greene. Or... Alice from Twilight. 

The prettiest girl EVER! Emma Watson.

Ginnifer Goodwin. We have a similar face.

So, I would do one of her cuts. Most likely. 

She looks cute. And hey! No earrings. Crazy. 

Halle... Hally? Berry... Barry?

Not my favorite picture of her. But, she used to be classy. Katie Holmes.

Kiera Knightley. Pretty too. 

Natalie Portman. 

Literal rocker... Pink. 

Oh... and just Victoria Beckham... Posh Spice.

Two of my favorite celebrities... or role models, if you will. 

I guess my first item of business should be to pick a cut. Right? Isn't that how you proceed with such big decisions? After all... this decision is like the biggest/most life changing decision I've made! Second only to choosing a college and a major...

I promise a Thanksgiving post relatively soon.