I am also growing my hair out...

Stay tuned. I will have my husband take a picture of me when I wear it down again so we can monitor this mane together.
Oh yeah, I'm dyeing it brown in two weeks as well.

Yeah! Change!

For those of you nervous about having children...

Wouldn't it be fantastic if you could give birth to dogs? How great would this be?!
Imagine the element of excitement!

Conversation between friends:

"So, are you going to find out what you're having?"

"We did! We're having a dachsund! It's a boy!"

Imagine if you didn't find out:

Doctor to new pet owner:

"Congratulations! It's a Corgi!"

Pet mother to Pet Father:

"I had a feeling with your long torso and my short legs..."

And imagine the conversations between catty women regarding the pet pregancies of their friends:

"I totally knew she would have a great dane. Look at how BIG she is. Seriously."

Just think how much it would change EVERYTHING. So when you're fearful that if you DON'T have children you may never truly know the sheer joy of creating something with your loved one, you could! And your responsibility would still be that of a pet parent. (Note: I am very aware that the responsibilties of a pet parent are large. I am one. No, I did not give birth to one, but I did adopt two. I take my pet parenting very seriously. However, while I can leave Bill and Lily for a few hours with nothing but Animal Planet, I would not be able to leave my six year old and 2 year old children.)

Still planning on them (children)...yes, I am. I just get so nervous about it. Giving yourself over, even if it's willingly...doesn't it seem frightening? Maybe miraculous, but also scary?

For now, I do love my dogs. Even if I didn't give birth to them.

Songs Without Words: Ann Packer

Good. That's about it. It was good. To sum it up:
It is the story of a friendship between Liz,a suburbanite mother of two and her bohemian best friend Sarabeth. When Lauren, one of Liz's children commits a desperate act, it challenges the friendship that at one time would have helped them through said difficult time.
Like I said, it was good.
I identified with Lauren (the daughter who commits the tragic climax of the novel)...probably because I always identify with dark, masochistic, suicidal characters. However, Lauren, to me, was the only true exciting character in the novel.
Liz was sad and superior in a way...and sort of boring. Sarabeth was emotional and her actions were either troubled or supremely unrealistic. (This is my opinion...doesn't mean that you will feel this way)

But, I did read it all rather quickly. It was well-written. There was a line in the book that I found fantastic: "Sad but with toys."
If you read this book, you will understand how gorgeous and true this statement really is.

When all is said and done: Sort of blah, sort of pretty.
Worth the read? Depends on whether or not you find a pretty basic friendship and an even MORE BASIC plot, interesting.

Close to 5 miles of suckiness...

I knew immediately when I started off my run tonight that it wasn't going to be as exhilarating as last night. Not only did I not reach exhilaration, I was flat out tired. My calves hurt, my right shin, my right knee, etc...
But! I will say that my breathing has improved immensely!
I have decided to run a 5k on October 11th and a 10 miler in late November. I am going to go ahead and train for the Germantown half marathon on March 15th, 2009. We'll go from there...
I'll keep ya posted.

Help Me Grow Out My Nails

Let me stress that I have never been successful at this. 28 years of being desirous of long, pretty hands and shapely nails and I just….can’t…do…it.

First off, I am sort of like a dirty child. I wash my hands constantly and then somehow get them dirty again. My nails always seem dirty. I wash them…they’re clean. I sit still for 30 minutes and they’re dirty. Why is this?

Secondly…I have a chip in my left front tooth. During football games or sometimes to keep myself from murdering someone in traffic, I run my fingernails through this chip and file down one whole side of a nail, forcing me to file the other side off. Yes, I am 28.

Third, I have hangnails and I mess with them until it nearly looks like God put my nail on crookedly.

Fourth, once I bite one nail down, it takes all of 3 minutes to get rid of his nine friends. It’s just how it works.

So I am trying again, this time, with your assistance. I bought some cuticle oil, a white pencil to whiten the tips and a fingernail file that won’t wear down. Deep breath. Here we go. Above, you will see a picture of my hand as it is now. I will keep you updated.

I will be adding to this...

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

The Awakening: Kate Chopin

I just read this again for the 90th time. It's my favorite book.
Fitting that it should be my first review.
I'm not going to go into any history of the novel. You can do that yourself.


Suffice it to say, I find it amazing. I find it beautiful. Cliche words and I don't care.
The main character, Edna Pontellier, finds that she has been living a life that truly isn't hers. She is married with children and slowly begins to realize her full capabilities as a woman and soul. She awakens emotionally, sexually, somewhat spiritually (in that she finds she is oppressed by it); in addition to awakening to discover who she truly is.

Although these discoveries of self open Edna up to an enlightened world and existence, she is also reminded of all that is impossible in her life which inevitably lead to...
Read it!

It's a Madame Bovary of sorts...but to me, it's so much more beautiful. For anyone who has been moved to tears by a song or the ocean or contemplated leaving it all behind in the name of love, please read this novel and let me know what you think.