And now for something completely different

For a while now, I've been wanting to cut my hair. I've looked at pictures, read magazines, scanned the internet, all in hopes of finding "the" hairstyle. As most of you know, I'm pretty traditional (ha--just a little!) so big changes really aren't my style. (Except of course for the whole moving every four years thing...that's quite a big change.) But with hair and clothes, you see the same things in almost every Christmas picture. Ok, so I wanted this to be different.

Before:

After:

You might say, there's hardly any difference between those two pictures except for oh, six inches. Au contraire, mes amis! Here's one more (I actually styled this one myself...it only took reshampooing once...and a quick trip to the beauty supply store for a flat iron and some styling wax):

I think it will take a little getting used to. I do love the length--my hair has never been this short--but there are these little wings on the side of my head that keep throwing me for a loop. And despite the middle picture above, I am parting it on the side. I keep in mind, however, my friend Scarlet's wise words: it's only hair. Oh, and Jon likes it--I only asked him fifty times yesterday. As for my new hair and me, we're still getting acquainted.

Slobbering on Daddy's Nose

Since the weather was rainy and dreary today, Kate figured there was no better way for an eight month old to spend a Sunday afternoon than slobbering all over her Dad's nose. Hope you enjoy the experience as well.

Hurray for Gram and Pops

Kate (and her mom and dad) were doubly blessed to have Gram and Pops come to visit this past weekend. Despite traveling on American Airlines, they actually DID arrive on time, as scheduled. That was definitely a thank you, Lord! We had a great time visiting--catching up while Kate napped, watching movies, going out to a tasty dinner, and spending time together. They even watched Kate so Jon and I could go out together. It was wonderful! The sweet babe warmed right up to Gram and Pops and curled them around her little fingers. (Not too hard, you know. Who can resist a double chin and chubby thighs?) Thanks again to Gram and Pops for the great visit. We're excited to see you again shortly!

P.S. In case you're wondering why Kate always has that staring, gaping mouth look on her face, it's because she is fascinated by the camera light that goes on right before the flash. No, she doesn't ALWAYS look that way...just in pictures where we have to use the flash. Sigh.

Weekend Away: Part 2

On to Maryland's western shore! By the way, while growing up, my aunt and uncle (who were in the Air Force at that time) were stationed out here once and I thought two things: first, that you pronounced it Mary-land and second, that I had no idea what Maryland was like or really, where exactly it was. Now I'm proud to say that I love Maryland! What a unique state. We really enjoyed visiting family friends out in suburban MD (now they're roughing it in England), we had a great time in Baltimore's inner harbor area, and we can't get enough of the Chesapeake. Anyway, we rented a log cabin at a Naval recreation center near Solomons, MD and spent the weekend lounging, reading, strolling boardwalks, and eating crab cakes. The weather was very overcast and rainy most of the time, but the sun peeked through a little. Kate did a great job napping in the pack and play. One bad thing, though--she learned she can make really annoying thumping sounds with her legs while "sleeping" in the pack and play. Hmmm. However, she was a great traveler and thoroughly enjoyed the seashore. We didn't get as much sleep as we'd hoped (all three of us were sharing a room...) but we had fun getting away as a family.


Here we are in the town of Solomon's Island, strolling the boardwalk after a tasty (and suprising expensive) crabcake lunch.The navy recreation area is situated right on the Riverfront with several beaches like the one above. On the left are some of the houses for rent right on the water, but you need to reserve a little more than a week in advance to get one of those.
Kate got her first experience on the beach and didn't really enjoy it too much. It's probably because the water was frigid. I'm sure she'll be a much bigger fan of the Lake of the Ozarks this summer when we're vacationing in the warm waters of central Missouri.
One afternoon, we went hiking in Calvert Cliffs State Park, where the local pastime is to look for fossils along the beach. We didn't find any T-rex bones, but did enjoy the sense of peace and quite in the middle of the woods/bog/beach that comprised the hike.Kate fell asleep on the hike back to the car. It was so funny to see those little feet dangling limp as we hiked through the woods.

All in all it was a great weekend and a nice break from the ordinary. We'll definitely be heading back here for a future vacation.

Weekend Away: Part 1

We had a wonderful weekend away, just the three of us. The first place we stopped was in DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival. What a wonderful time! I've never seen the cherry blossoms blooming in person and we all just loved it. The weather was a little overcast, so the pictures don't really do the blossoms justice, but there you are. I was inspired by my high school friend's facebook page--she took pictures of the blooming trees in Tokyo--and thought it was neat to share how the "sister" trees looked here in the capital.
As you can see, the trees were blooming all around the Tidal Basin. It was fantastic!

Kate enjoyed looking at everyone and being admired by all in her cool sunglasses. Here she is posing for Daddy.
After we spent the morning in DC, we headed out to the western shore of Maryland. But that will have to wait for another day, another posting. Stay tuned!