.the long and short of it.

Yes, this is a blog about hair. And I am in the midst of a hair dilemma. Ladies, I know you've been there too!

In the past year, I've gone from having very long hair to having shoulder-length hair. Right now, it is in that awkward in-between stage that no one likes. It's the do-or-die time of the growing out process. You know, do I stick it out and get past this boring length, keep my eye on the prize and just wear it back a lot until it's long again... Or do I cut it and call it done?

Me last month...so boring, I'm falling asleep.....

Me this month... still snoozing....

Me about a year ago with luxuriously long locks... It took longer to "fix," but the end result always felt worth it.

Me with my short, sassy 'do about a year ago. Lots less maintenance...but also less "romantic and feminine."

What to do, what to do??? For now, I'm leaning towards keeping my eye on the prize and growing it back out. It's getting pretty hot outside, so being able to pull it back and off my neck is very appealing right now. When it's short, it doesn't pull back as easily. Although, I do miss how fast I used to be able to fix my hair back when it was short...

I suppose time will tell what I end up doing. In the meantime, your opinion on the matter could very well influence what I decide to do. So please, talk to me about my hair! ;-)

.new york, new york.

My trip to New York was full of lots of "firsts" for me. It was my first time to ride in an airplane, my first visit to the city and seeing all the sights, and my first time to see the ocean! Yes, I know, I've lived a very sheltered life. I am 26 years old, and I just saw the ocean for the first time. But that doesn't mean I wasn't as giddy as a 9-year-old when I saw it! I even did a happy jig. That's how special the moment was to me! Oh, and even better, the first beach I visited was in the Hamptons. How's that for classy?

The beautiful Atlantic

Freezing ocean water, but so exhilarating! (And this my favorite picture from the trip.)

Lighthouse at Montauk Point

We also rode on the Staten Island Ferry to get a good view of the Statue of Liberty. It was awesome to see something so big and majestic with my own eyes!! There she is behind us!

Then there was Central Park, my favorite location we visited. Ran into a celebrity and turned into the stalkarazzi. Oh, hello, David Boreanz. No big deal! We won't even mention that I interacted with him before realizing who he was! I told him to "go ahead" and walk past me so I could take a picture of my brother and his wife. It was when he smirked and walked on past that I realized who he was!!

Another view of Central Park. I was astonished by how many people were in bathing suits. To New Yorkers, Central Park is their "beach" of sorts. It was jam-packed with people just chillin and catching some z's in the sun. And I couldn't help but wonder what was up with all the overly romantic couples caressing and kissing like they were being filmed for a love story or something. Weird.

This is me in Times Square. I am aware that I am creepily excited. That was intentional.

One of many taaaallll buildings in the city. I really like how this picture turned out.

There are a lot more pictures I could share, but I tried to limit the ones I posted to some of my favorites from the trip. We also visited Ground Zero, Rockefellar Center and saw the Empire State Building from a distance.

All-in-all, I can say it was the trip of a lifetime (so far) for me. I was thankful for a good first experience in the air and the magnificently beautiful weather we had while in New York.

New addictions that we (sadly) do no have anywhere near Arkansas: IKEA and Century 21 (not the real estate company -- the massive store filled with everything your heart could desire!).

Things I will not miss: Riding the train and subway. Having to be intentionally rude to people by ignoring them so they won't take advantage of me... This is something I had trouble with. The Southern girl within me wanted to have a conversation with everyone I met, including the characters trying to get money out of me for a picture.

At the end of the visit, we endured a 3-day roadtrip home. I say endured, but really, looking back, it was quite enjoyable. I mostly sat in the backseat of my sister's car, which we nicknamed "The Cave" because I was surrounded by blankets and quilts. I loved seeing the scenery of states I have never been through before. I especially loved all the old farmhouses and barns in Pennsylvania. Oh, and f.y.i., the best flea market I've ever been to resides in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Just in case you're ever out that way, you should stop by.

The two nights we slept in hotels, all 5 of us (me, my sis and bro and their spouses) shared a room. I was on an air mattress, which surprisingly made for some pretty good sleeping. We went to sleep laughing every night and came home with a lot of new inside jokes. If you're a fan of The Office, you know the phrase, "That's what she said." I think that was probably quoted at least 100 times during the 6 days we were together. :-)

I have a lot of great memories to savor from this trip, and I'm so glad I went. Still, at the end of it all, I was truly reminded there is no place like home. And I'm so blessed to live where I do. I guess I'll always be a Southern girl at heart, no matter where God places me. :-)

.greetings from new york.

Yes, it is true.

I'm in New York!

Tomorrow begins the 3-day road trip home.

Lots of details and pics to come.

Just wanted to drop in and say hello to my fellow bloggers!

.a hint.

...To say that the butterflies in my tummy are getting bigger every day and seemingly learning how to break dance would be an understatement!

.true treasures with mom.

I had a wonderful mother's day with my mom! One of our favorite things to do together is peruse antique malls and flea markets in the area. Today we had a lot of fun at True Treasures, a.k.a. the best little jewel in Northwest Arkansas -- so good, in fact, that Sandra Bullock is a repeat visitor whenever she is in the area!

I know you ladies would love this place as much as I do, so today I took some pictures of my favorite things both inside the shop and out. WARNING: There are A LOT of pictures below, but I have a feeling you all won't mind! I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I loved taking them!

And while you're at it, go to True Treasure's BLOG. :-)

.garage sale.

This weekend I didn't get to do my usual estate sale/yard sale thing. Instead, I had a sale of my own! Throw in 6 other people's stuff, and we had a garage full of *junk.* Friday morning, we opened the garage door to pull everything out onto the driveway, and we were bombarded by a stampede of eager beavers ready to check out their purchases before we even had time to get our money table set up. What kills me is how people try to get you to come down on your already-low prices first thing in the morning!
We all came out with a few extra bucks. Not enough to pay for any future kids' college funds or anything, but enough to go out and have a fun outing or (in my opinion - the best way to spend it: shopping at a flea market). The best part was sitting around with my mom, sis-in-law, mom-in-law, and grandmas and just talk and laugh. Gotta love those drive-by yard salers that brake and slowly sweep their eyes over your merch from their cars before slamming their foot down on the accelerator and squealing away. :-)

Now it's time to shift my focus from yard sales to preparing for something a lot bigger and exciting that happens in less than a week... It's a pretty big deal for this little Southern girl. Maybe... I'm going somewhere and experiencing a couple of things I've never experienced before. I'll give you hint in my next post. Until then, can you guess what I might be hinting at???

.julie & julia.

Tonight I ate a pint of Starbucks Mocha Frappucino ice cream and watched Julie & Julia with my sis-in-law. All I can say is Girls Nights like this are way too few and far between, not to mention, under-rated!

The ice cream was delish, and I didn't even get a stomach ache. :-)

The movie -- what's not to love? It's about blogging and food! And I wonder if I'm the only one that got excited about all the vintage cookware and mixing bowls??

Yes, it was a good night. The outdoor concert plans fell through because of the threat of rain, but I did make it to my favorite flea market today like I had planned. Came home with a new cup holder that is now sitting comfortably on my kitchen counter. I'll try to take a picture of it tomorrow as well as one of my new clock I was talking about yesterday.

But for now, it's 12:45 am! And I have church in the morning!! It was fun to have a late night for a change. Now it's time for sweet dreams. Goodnight!