I can't say that my 2 week silence and not writing on my blog is due to lack of things to talk about. There is PLENTY going on, it's just a matter of taking the time out to put it all into words and not feeling like I am just rambling on and on. The photo to the left is a great example of some of the changes that I've been putting into place over the last few weeks. I have never, EVER colored or highlighted my hair (well, at least where anyone else could see it). One summer, I thought it might be fun to experiment with SunIn and make it lighter. But I only did that on the underside of my head so that just in case I messed up, it would grow out & no one would know the difference. While this project was something that most of my friends had been encouraging me to do, I can't say that they were the sole influence for me deciding to have the courage to make the change. I had a blast picking out hairstyles online and emailing back and forth with my girls (you know who you are) in the days leading up to the "big day". I have to say that going to the salon was a lot of fun! I enjoyed that uneasy feeling of anticipation and thinking "I wonder what it's going to look like when she's finished". I LOVE the way that it turned out! I also LOVE that the way it is styled in the photo is not the end all be all. I have experimented over the past few weeks and I guess I never really realized how versatile my hair is! I don't think it looks the same from one day to the next -- that's not a bad thing -- it keeps things interesting and is helping me break the mold of the mudane day to day boringness that I had been feeling that I was falling in to.
Another change that I made just this past weekend was redecorating my bedroom. When I first moved out on my own, in 2001, my thought was that, for me, apartment life was a temporary home for me so why in the world would I take the time to decorate or buy nice things or make it "mine". I was under the impression that things like that would come along when I moved on to the next stage of living called "buying a house". After being on my own & out of my parents' house for 8 years, I see that I was sadly mistaken on that line of thinking too. The apartment that I live in now is the first one where I have really felt at home. I have lived there for almost 2 years and have actually tried to take the time to make things nice and presentable not just for me (even though, I'm usually the only one who sees it) but for anyone who might happen to come by and visit by invite or not. This past weekend, I bought a really nice comforter/bedding set and a decorative lamp to go along with it. My room is completely clean and I am working really hard to keep it that way! :) In light of that, the past 2 nights of sleep may be some of the best that I have had in a very long time. I am starting to see that the way you feel about your surroundings influences how you feel IN those surroundings.
These 2 examples are just a glimpse of some of the changes that I feel like I am starting to make in my life right now. There are a few more and while I have the space to write about them, time is not going to allow me to cover everything in detail today. Also, when I have more time, I really want to write about the things in my life that are still really difficult for me to change and branch out in.
Thanks to all of you who read this blog faithfully. You are such an encouragement to me! I look forward to seeing some of your comments on this post AND look forward to reading your next posts (*hint, hint.. some of you haven't been writing at ALL! -- you know who you are!**).
