Excitement on the East Coast

My mother lives in the Washington, DC area. I've been trying to talk her into moving back to Louisiana (where she was born and raised) to be nearer to family (me). She's not wild about the idea.

However, this past week she's been in an earthquake and now a hurricane (no stranger to those in Louisiana). What's next? A blizzard in August?

Just say the word and I'll come help you pack!

Going Gray - Week 8

It's been a while since I wrote about my battle with the bottle -- the bottle of hair dye, that it -- so I thought I'd post an update, along with a photo. GASP! You're probably wondering, what are you thinking?!! Sometimes, I wonder that myself. To learn more about what's motivating, click here.

So far, only one person I know has commented (at least to my face) about my silver roots, and that's because I told her a while ago I was doing this. Everyone else is too polite, it seems.

I'm not sure how I plan to transition, though. I don't mind cutting my hair shorter, but the pixie cut is out of the question. The only reason I'm hanging on to the length now is because I've been pulling it back into a ponytail or bun in an effort to camouflage the skunk stripe (as if!). Maybe a few well-placed ultra-light highlights will help?

One plus: my sensitive, rosacea-prone skin is doing much, much better since I've stopped coloring my hair. Go figure.

I'll Miss You, Jean

I was deeply saddened to learn about the death of my friend and colleague (of sorts), Jean H. I met Jean years ago through her son and daughter-in-law, who live across the street from me.

In the past couple of years I've come to know Jean in a different light. A little background: My boss, an attorney, shares office space with another attorney, although they maintain completely separate law practices. I work for Boss Man, Jean worked for Lawyer Lady. Jean's desk and the one I share with the Other Admin Assistant were close, separated by one wall and door that's usually open. (Other Admin and I job-share so she works for Boss Man, too). My point is it felt like Jean and I were co-workers, even though we weren't.

For reasons that do not matter anymore, things hadn't being going well between Jean and Lawyer Lady. A couple of weeks ago, Jean resigned giving two weeks' notice. Although she didn't have a new job lined up, she was optimistic she'd find something.

At 72 years young, "retiring" is not Jean's style. When I last saw her -- yesterday on her final day of work -- we didn't go for the mushy goodbyes. After all, we'd still shout at each other from across the street when she visited her son, right? Instead she told me that although being a little nervous about the whole unemployed thing, she was going to relax and work on her garden until her next new adventure.

I'm sure no one ever thought that Jean's next adventure wouldn't include any of us, her friends and family. Yet, she very recently had the opportunity to reconnect with a loved one with whom there was a falling out some years back. That reconciliation brought her great peace and joy in the past weeks (she told me so).

Last night, Jean suffered a fatal heart attack. She was strong, energetic and vibrant to nearly the very end. Pain or suffering was likely mercifully brief. Although we feel blindsighted by her death, Jean I suspect was fixed and focused on her next great adventure...which I like to think begins now.

Happy 16th Birthday, Son #1

To read his birth story, click here.

You are my night owl with a wry sense of humor. Super smart - you'll either end up dominating the world or solving its major problems. :-) You still love books, video games, all things science. You don't enjoy driving, but you have to put that permit to use and practice, practice, practice. Oh, and you rocked in school. 4.0 + GPA, with 3 honors classes. In school, you ran cross country, track and lettered in wrestling. Once you complete the two final merit badges, you'll be an Eagle Scout. Keep up the good work! We're proud of you and we love you.

Happy 14th Birthday, Son #2!

My middle son turns 14 today! If you'd like to read his birth story, click here.

To my son: What a year it's been! You're still as sweet and funny as ever. Smart too. Only one B the entire 8th grade year -- the rest were A's. You took freshman level Algebra, was a Student of the Year runner up, and won a Principal's School Community Leadership Award in your last year of junior high.

You played solid baseball. Coach said you are an excellent utility player: reliable in any position you play: 1st & 2nd base, shortstop, centerfield, left field... He says you have great speed and agility, plus a strong arm. Best of all (to me, at least) is your excellent attitude. No whining in baseball, that's my motto. (Too bad the same can't be said for all of your teammates, but you just keep leading by your example.)

I love you bunches! Happy Birthday!

Hmmm....Wavering (slightly)

Okay, I'm getting a tad annoyed with my inch worth of silver. Yet, I still plan to hang in there. Here's a site that I find inspiring:

Going Gray Looking Great

It's based on the book of the same name by Diana Jewell.

Going Gray - Why?

So why am I'm considering letting my hair go gray (not to be confused with "letting myself go")?


The primary reason is the time and inconvenience. It takes about an hour and a half to achieve my hair color (aka faux color). That includes getting all the stuff out, clearing a work space, mixing the color and developer, applying the color to the new growth, waiting, rinsing, deep conditioning, waiting, rinsing, then cleaning up my mess.

For a while it was fun to take 90 minutes to pamper myself. During processing time and conditioning time, I'd read a magazine, catch up on a TIVO's episode of "Bones." But more and more frequently, it feels like a chore. Yeah, like I need another one of those: I'm a mom of 3, you know. It stopped being something I liked to do, and became something I dread doing. Just another item on my "to do" list.

Another reason my perception of gray hair is changing. Jamie Lee Curtis, Helen Mirren (okay sometimes she's pale blonde, but I know I've seen white), model Cindy Joseph rock the pearl/silver/gray/pewter.

Then there's Jill. We took a class together. She had short blonde hair. Looked fine, but not WOW! Jill became ill and missed a few weeks of class (she's fine now). When she returned to class, she was sporting an ultra-short, ultra-chic, ultra SILVER crop. Truly a WOW! moment for Jill. She looks amazing. She certainly doesn't look older or washed out. If anything, the silver hair with her somewhat tan skin makes her look more vibrant now.

There's also Mallory, a young, local artist. When I met Mallory 2-3 years ago, I immediately fixated on her hair. Light brown cut into a sleek bob, with quite the white patch in the front framing her face (natural to boot!). I thought to myself, man, if I have gone gray like that, I would have never dyed my hair. If I had to guess, Mallory is probably 30 today.

There's also the curiosity factor. I've had medium to dark brown hair my entire life. I wonder what my gray would look like: mostly dark with some gray, pewter, silver, white? A little or a lot? I have to admit to secretly hoping mine will be silver - a lot of it! I want to see what I'd look like with "light" hair. I know I could never pull off "blonde" but I bet I'd rock silver!

Finally, I believe there's nothing wrong with looking one's age. At 46, time marches on. If I had to choose between looking good and looking young, I would choose good. No one is going to mistake me for a 30 year old, and that's okay. I'd rather shift my efforts from maintaining brunette hair, to focusing on eating right, exercising and enjoying myself.

So the simple answer to "why?" is Why not?

I'm going gray! - Intro

Those of you who know me in person are probably thinking, "so, what's new? You've been going gray and trying to hide it for years" Well, that may be....

However, I'm seriously considering giving up the bottle. The bottle of haircolor, that is. Until recently, I've been using a semi-permanent hair color to cover my roots (usually Natural Instincts, or ION demi permanent), but being semi-permanent, it fades quickly. More and more so, it seems. Plus my hair grows pretty fast so viola! Nearly a half inch of silver roots after 2 to 3 weeks. (Permanent color is a no-no for me. I'll explain in a future post.)

Since I've started flirting with the idea of growing au naturel, my Gray-dar is in full swing. Suddenly I'm noticing some beautiful heads of silvery hair -- and not all are attached to the elderly.

Can I - will I - really do it? I'd like to think so, but eh, I'm fickle. Stay tuned. And yes, there will be photos. Scary, scary photos! :-D

Back to Blogging!

I've been a very, very bad blogger. :-( I can't really say I've been too busy, because I find plenty of time to play on Facebook, Google, Artfire, etc. I realize my previous followers are no longer watching my blog, but that's okay. I write this, as I always have, for me. Not for an audience. That's not to say I don't welcome readers and followers -- I do. My new goal is post post something - anything - three times a week (baby steps). We'll see how it goes.... (Wish me luck!)

Osama bin Laden is dead

I have mixed emotions. He was responsible for the loss of many, many lives. I'm glad he personally cannot hurt another living soul. Yet I cannot rejoice in the death of another human being, no matter how heinous his actions.

I'm concerned about retaliation - there'll always be haters out there. I'm hopeful that perhaps his death might reduce the effectiveness of al Quaeda.

I'm thankful for the hardwork of our soldiers, and grateful for their safety. I'm perplexed as to how I explain to my 9 year old why Americans are dancing in the streets because 'we' killed someone.

It's so much to process.