LIFE LIST ITEM TODAY!!! DYE MY HAIR RED

 Some experiences are simply gratuitous - and that's alright

This is the color I wanted

When: November 16, 2011

Maybe if was in the sun....

Where: Glitz Salon in Clarkston, Michigan

Why I wanted to do this: When I was about 16 I found an ad in a magazine for pantene pro v and the model had the most beautiful red hair, I ripped out the page, folded it up and put it in my wallet...and I it's still there. I have always wanted to dye my hair red but have never had the guts. I finally decided to jump off this bridge now because I had made an appointment to get my hair done a few weeks ago, and I was planning on getting the usual highlights but I thought if I am spending SO much money on something it had better be a LIFE LIST item!

It is red...I think I'd like it more red

Cost: I had my hair layered/dyed/eyebrows waxed/blow out for $114 WHICH I THINK IS A STEAL! I expected it to be much more. I think the root to tip dye was only about $45 and I have long hair. This seems so inexpensive to me because I pay around $85 to have it highlighted.


How I paid for it: I asked my husband for some money.

I feel surprised every time I look in the mirror

What would I do differently? Well, nothing- I do have figure out new make up- I can't tell if I need more or less. With a major color change the make up has to change as well as the color of tops I wear-this DOES NOT go with everything like blonde does!

Before

Will I do it again? Yesterday I thought 'i like it but I'll be blonde again by summer' today I LOVE it and I don't think I'll keep it this exact color but I think I'm going to play around with different shades of red WHY NOT!!!??? I think I'm going to commit to being a redhead for the next year.

It's a 2 for 1- sometimes it looks brown and sometimes it looks red

Something I would recommend? Well, maybe not going red- but I recommend doing EVERYTHING you've always wanted to try-if it's dying your hair a new color remember, your not married to your hair color!

Without question the best haircut I've ever had!!

Make a good gift/surprise? Yes, but it's conditional- I would never get a girl a gift certificate to a place she's never been before-I've been going to the same place and the same stylist for 11 years and REFUSE TO GO ANYWHERE ELSE! You've really got to trust the person touching your hair. But getting your hair done is expensive and something


Was it life changing? I don't know yet-I'll let you know.

Before

After-the color doesn't seem to be showing up well next to a natural redhead

Great quotes:


"Blondes are noticed....redheads are never forgotten"
"If you want trouble find yourself a redhead"
"Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall in love with a gorgeous redhead" Lucille Ball
"The addiction to redheads is a lot like being addicted to drugs"

Weigh in Wednesdays: WEEK 6

last week----------192.5

TODAY-----------191 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YEA!!!!!! Why am I so excited??? Because I have LOST 70 POUNDS!!!!!!! Not only can I not believe that I have lost 70 pounds but I cannot believe that I had 70 lbs to lose (and I'm still chubby) REMINDER-It is from pregnancy. I hear lots of women say that it is too difficult to lose the baby weight-I have lost all mine seemingly effortlessly by breastfeeding and walking  LADIES  I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT BREASTFEEDING-IT'S SO GOOD FOR YOUR BABY AND YOU!!!-that's all. I think the challenge will come now, losing the fat that took me 7 years to gain before I got pregnant-I'd like to lose this weight in 1 year!!

I cannot credit myself for this weeks loss of 1.5 lbs, I was sick and put forth no effort other than not eating very much.

Everything is fitting better including my wedding ring which I wore last night for the first time- I have not been able to wear it since April 2010-the timing was perfect since last night was my  first 'night on the town' in two years -I was hit on and someone bought me a drink! THAT WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED 70 POUNDS AGO ..... you know because of the weight....and being 9 months pregnant.

TRAVEL TIPS: MEXICO

 I had no desire to ever visit this country earlier today when I began writing this. I have heard so many terrible things from people I know who have been and quite frankly it seems as if Mexico is just one problem after another. With that being said, there is a ton of things to do there and it does look like a lot of fun-I'm not hoping of the next flight out but I could be easily persuaded. Why am I writing this? I promised a friend a while back that I would put together an itinerary - and I LOVE doing travel research, I don't care if it is to a place I'll never visit or not! I have added links to each place under each photo.

Playa Tortugas

Swim up Bar

Tequila Tours and Tastings

Swim with Whale Sharks

Snuba

Horse Back Riding on the Beach

National Folkloric Ballet of Mexico

Natural Aquatic Park

See Mariachis

Fish Spa Mexico

Chichen Itza Ruins 

Drive an Exotic Car

Swim with Dolphins 

Underwater Museum

El Meco Ruins

Casa Caracol-off coast of Cancun

LIFE LIST: HAVE A DAUGHTER

          Having a daughter is like winning the lottery

12 months

12 months

9 months

Why I wanted do this: I think every woman wishes to have a little girl, I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have a daughter of my own, that's why I always say that having a girl is like winning the lottery. Having a girl is the greatest thing in the world. It's all going too fast but I look forward to all my moments to come with her.

9 months

Cost: 1 million dollars----in my opinion-children are as expensive as you want them to be. I don't want my daughter to be spoiled but I do want to show her the world, expose her to the greatest things in life and take her on adventures of a lifetime.

12 months

12 months

What I would do differently: Had her sooner.

2 weeks

Will I do it again?   There's a four day long answer to that question. Right now, I'm enjoying every moment I can with her.

1 week

Something I would recommend? Yes-for some-and by that I mean I would recommend having children only to those who take parenthood seriously, however I do wish for any woman who wants to have a child, that she is able to. And I do wish that every mother could have a girl and every father a son. I always feel bad when I see a man with 3 daughters or a mom with 4 boys.

2 months

Make a good gift/surprise? There is no greater gift you could give someone!

6 weeks

Was it life changing? I could literally spend every second of every day for the rest of my life talking about how special my daughter is to me and how she has changed my life and made me a better person but for now I'll just say that she is my beating heart, my every thought and my happiness. Most of our days are filled with smiles and giggles, some days are hard when we're not feeling well-but everyday is perfect.

3 months

5 months

LIFE LIST ITEM NEXT WEEK!

I have made a decision- I'm going to have my hair dyed red, like Isla Fisher!!!!! I'm very nervous, I hope I don't chicken out, I've always had long blonde hair and the craziest things I've done to it are have it layered and highlighted-my stylist Gina (who has been doing my hair for the last 10 years is going to have a heart attack). This is a very big move for me.

Weigh in Wednesdays: WEEK 5

Reaching my life goal weight one pound at a time….

Last Wednesday---195
Today--------------192.5  !!!!!!!!   2.5 lbs in one week!

It feels so good to be losing weight! At this time last year I had a one month old, was still in pain from my surgery and did not really care too much about my clothes, make up etc...it's not like I totally let myself go, but it is hard when you're over weight to go spend money on these things when you have the mentality of 'I already look like crap what does it matter if I get my hair done-that will just make me fat with highlights'. The only good thing I can say about this frame of mind is that you save a lot of money! Now that I'm starting to feel so good about myself I went this weekend and bought some new Pumas, I have made an appointment to have my hair, eyebrows and nails done- I have to say -it feels good to feel pretty once again. It is also nice to walk around the mall and shop for clothes-how I have missed shopping for clothes! I don't want to spend a lot of money right now because I am still losing weight but it became absolutely necessary for me to buy a few new things-every time I walked up the stairs my pants were sliding down. These are the kind of problems I like to have. It's been so long since I have been able to buy an outfit that I like and look good in-for the past two years it was all about what comfort and simply what would fit-a year ago I strived to look decent, now I'm back to being totally consumed with my appearance.

When I was grocery shopping this weekend, I had gathered all my 'health foods' for the week and wanted to pick up one or two guilty pleasure items feeling like they were deserved but then I looked in my cart and saw nothing but organic foods, fruits, veggies, and healthy proteins and I had this ridiculous urge to impress the Costco cashier with my 'good' food choices. I always look at what others are buying and every time I see someone with only healthy foods I think 'wow-good for them' so I wanted to be that person and it makes it very easy to eat well when you have no other option.

This is what I tried to stick my diet to this week:

Breakfast-raisin bagel
          banana


lunch- pickle
       grilled cheese
       cottage cheese


dinner- broccoli with cheese
        scrambled eggs  

and sit ups....lots and lots of sit ups....

LIFE LIST: AKAKA FALLS

There are so many stunningly beautiful sites on this planet- and I want to see them all.

When: August 2009

Where: Akaka Falls State Park Hawaii

Why I wanted to do this: When I went to the travel agent I told her that on this trip to Hawaii I wanted to see a volcano, waterfalls, stay at an authentically Hawaiian resort, go to a luau and see a black sand beach-she said 'o you'll have to visit every island in order to do all that'. No. I was able to find everything I wanted to do and see and more all on the big island which is not typically known for being very tropical. Which is true, much of the Island is covered in black lava and almost looks like a desert. However, there are in fact waterfalls and the most noteworthy is the Akaka Falls, in my opinion this is where one must go to see the Hawaii that is in pictures and movies.

Cost: Entrance was only $5.

How I paid for it: -

What would I do differently? Stayed longer, taken more pictures.

Will I do it again? I want to visit Akaka Falls again because I have a picture of my grandma with the falls in the background and I would like to stand in that same spot and have the same picture taken. When I went to Hawaii, I still had her and couldn't have imagined that she would be gone just 7 months later. So it would mean a lot to me to re create that moment so I can put our pictures next to each other. It is a long drive from Kona (I would never stay anywhere else) but worth it just to take this snapshot.

Something I would recommend? Yes, if you are only going to the Big Island, you must visit this park so you can see its tropical and lush flora. It was not touristy, not crowded, it was actually way off the beaten path.

Would it make a good gift/surprise? Only to someone who is in good physical condition, there were thousands of steps, it was very steep and very hot but it would be a lovely place to say something special to someone.

Was it life changing? Sure, as a floral designer working exclusively with flowers which have already been cut from their stems, it was fascinating to see where these flowers come from, how they grow and how large they can get. I also think that every time you get a chance to see a natural wonder, you are not only left with an actual beautiful memory but it makes you appreciate the world that much more.

"GOD GAVE US MEMORY SO THAT WE MAY HAVE ROSES IN DECEMBER"

                                                                         -j.m. barrie