blonde brownies?

So, I have a bunch of bridal magazines. And guess what.

Almost every model in them is blonde. I would say a good 99.9 % are blonde. And the brunettes in them just don't have good hairstyles.

I guess that means I can't really get married unless I dye my hair. Which sounds like a good idea in my head. But not on paper or in reality.

Want to see what I mean?? Here are the hair styles I like:

(as you will be able to tell, I am 75% leaning towards my hair up and 25% leaning towards it half up. I think the third one is my favorite.)

I am also stuck on whether or not to buy a "fashionable" headpiece or short veil (Kins- could I maybe borrow yours? If you don't want me to, that's totally fine. I completely understand. ) or use the semi-long veil I currently have. Any suggestions? My dress is already busy enough, so I'm just trying to find what I can that would complement it.

Any suggestions?

Or maybe I should just go blonde.

The pleasure is all mine.

On my anatomy test today was this:

"It has been a pleasure having you.... Now hurry up and get out of here!"

It echoed my sentiments exactly.

One final down. Five more to go. And all that is going through my head right now is "baby steps". "baby steps". "Baby steps into the elevator......"

My personal race?

"I have won races that taught me nothing, but I have rarely lost a race that has not taught me something. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that losing is the same as failing. You don't always win from a winning position, but you rarely lose from a losing position. And you are far more likely to make your way to that winning position if you have the courage to learn from the mistakes you make along the way."

- Sebastian Coe, Olympic Gold Medalist and Silver Medalist

Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my race. I can't seem to catch a break. I tend to have an exam (or two or three, to be exact) every week with no time to stop and breathe. I feel like I am running through this semester with the lungs of an ASTHMATIC person. Short little gasps and panting, bent over with my hands on my knees digging down deep to find the courage and strength to stand back up and keep running. This isn't a race for a prize or a leisurely stroll. Instead in is an endurance test - of my determination and will, my ability to focus and prioritize, of my strength to go on.

And I'm certainly not winning the endurance test, but I can promise you, I'm definitely learning the greater lessons from the losing side. And that makes me a winner anyways.

The smell of victory? It's in the air.

You know how there are some smells and tastes that just stick in your head? Even ones from when you are little? Like Thanksgivings where the smell of turkey emanated throughout the house for hours and your mouth watered for just as long. Or Christmas time and you can smell the cider and hot chocolate and pine everytime you open the front door. And all the goodies baking in the kitchen. They tend to stick in your head. And then when you stick them in your mouth, sometimes it is a wondrous thing. But sometimes it can be a disappointment. Like the first time you tried to eat playdough.

However, today's taste of victory will be oh so sweet. T- 1.25 hours. And then it will be mine. Because this ridiculous cast will be off my leg. AND my foot will be FREE!

hallelujah.

what my foot will look like in 1 hour:

This one is for you, girl!

Kinseybug.

Tomorrow is going to be one of the hardest days of your week, month, year.
The sun is going to pound down on you like you've never known.
Your feet will feel the pain of every single step, every dip, bump, pebble and ridge of that path.
Your legs will quiver with dread of going even a little bit farther.
The hill ahead will seem like the impossible feat you could never accomplish.
And every mile will feel like eternity.

But guess what. I have faith in you. I know you can do it. Because you cannot be beaten by the sun, the path or the distance.
You will make it. And every drop of sweat will be worth it.
I promise.



LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE,
me

I'm conquering dragons. How about you?

So today I found this:

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be defeated.
- g.k. chesterton

I can remember wanting to be a princess when I was little. I wanted to find a white horse and ride off into the sunset. I wanted to live in a tower in a land that was perfect. I wanted the pretty dresses and long flowing hair. I wanted to be able to talk to animals, to sing with birds. I wanted carriage rides and tiaras.

And now that I know that princess school does not actually exist, this is the kind of princess I want to be:

That girl knew what she was doing. Thank you, Princess Elizabeth, for being on my list of heroes. My dragon may not be your dragon, but you showed me that I can beat mine - without a sword, a suit of armor, or a horse.

This one's for you, gentlemen.....

Father's Day was a week ago, and so technically this is late. BUT, I did start thinking about this back in May. I just lost my notes and recently remembered where I put them. So, despite it being a good 6 days after Father's Day, I wanted to put it up.

First of all, I've given a lot to who has shaped me into the person that I am today. And I wanted to say out loud how much I LOVE my daddy. And my brothers. They are the greatest guys I've ever known. And, to be completely honest, I am semi-intimidated to bring anyone home to meet them because they are so amazing and no one can live up to the great guys that they are. I'm glad we'll be together for eternity. And I don't know if I can put into words how much you mean to me. And Dad, I love you so, so much. The older I get, the more I realize how much I'm like you. And I love it.

And for all you other guys, I did want to say thank you. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
*(I think I need to give a couple disclaimers first: 1- Mr. A is not the same Mr. A previously blogged about. 2- These are in no particular order. 3 - This list spans years. 4 - Because I wanted to have a complete A-Z thing, I did write about three of you twice. Because I could....)

Mr. A - Thanks for still being my friend despite all my awkwardness. Band was not the same.
Mr. B - Thanks for teaching me that being early has it's perks. I loved waiting for you to come. And the rushing was worth it.
Mr. C - You were the only one who didn't care that I wore overalls my first day of school in NY. Fashion faux pas, yes; friendship ruiner; no. Plus the fact that you had the cutest smile EVER didn't hurt. Thanks for giving me the confidence I left behind in Texas.
Mr. D - First kiss. We'll always have that. Thanks for the memories. And the laughter.
Mr. E - For those rides home when I couldn't stay any longer. And you didn't care about leaving the party early. Thanks.
Mr. F - Thanks for teaching me that my first impressions are usually wrong. In a really really good way.
Mr. G - That one email was worth everything else.
Mr. H - Thank you for that one perfect season, the late nights, the shenanigans, the ridiculousness of it all. I wouldn't trade any of it, ever. That year was incredible.
Mr. I - I don't know if I can say anything here that won't let the whole world know who you are. But you are something else. In a really really really good way.
Mr. J -Thanks for your time. And thanks for being there when I needed you.
Mr. K - Thanks for the music. It definitely has lasted for a long while.
Mr. L - Thanks for being untouchable.
Mr. M - Thanks for being my older brother's best friend. I really did have the biggest crush on you. That's why I wouldn't talk to you or look you in the eye. And now thanks for being my friend.
Mr. N - So unexpected. But so welcome. Thank you for the impromptu, unpredictability.
Mr. O - Thanks for making work worth all the effort. Maybe if we didn't compete so much, we'd have less to argue about. But then again, we wouldn't have had as much fun.
Mr. P - Thanks for teaching me that sitting there saying nothing gets me nowhere. If only I'd learned that before you walked out of my life.
Mr. Q - I wish I could sit you down across from me and spill my heart out to you. Because I know you'd actually listen to me and actually care about what I was saying.
Mr. R - To me, you were the perfect one. But thanks for treating me like I was.
Mr. S - Thanks for the dance. And the candy cane.
Mr. T - I actually mean it when I say thank you for (how do I put this so it comes out right?)..... letting me learn that sometimes two people weren't meant for each other. And realizing that's okay.
Mr. U - Thanks for being so good at sports. And letting me beat you despite that fact.
Mr. V - The 2 a.m. conversation standing outside in the middle of winter in Utah. Definitely opened my eyes.
Mr. W - For the fact that there is no pressure. That we can be ourselves.
Mr. X - You enlightened me to looking at the good things. Thank you for helping me realize that life wasn't as bad as my 16-year old self pictured it to be.
Mr. Y - Thank you for jumping. Past all the beginning awkwardness, past my facade. Thanks for seeing the real me.
Mr. Z - Thank you for teaching me that life is sometimes more about what happens when you don't plan than what happens when you do.

Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness - both the ones you have received and the ones you have given - you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter. - Dawna Markova

Thank you gentlemen, for your small acts. Because they were so very, very big to me.