Bad Hair (Every)Day

Yah. I have a really bad haircut. Like really bad. Like Courteney-Cox-playing-Monica-on-"Friends"-in-1998 haircut. It's so bad.

I never intended to go down this path, but here I am. It almost makes getting up in the morning the worst idea ever, because no matter what I do, it just doesn't look good.

I've always been one to be whimsical with my hair, knowing full well that it will grow back. I had it long, up until first grade when I wanted it cut short like a boy. I have no idea why my mom thought it would be okay for a 7-year-old to make such drastic decisions, but I think I was the third child and at that point, she knew it wasn't going to hurt anything. So that was an awesome period in my life that no one ever brings up or makes fun of me for. Ever. Not once. Not even the time when we found an old figure skating picture of me and my sister wearing these really fru-fru costumes and basically it looked like someone dressed up a little boy in drag. Nope, everyone was very complimentary and extremely poised when reminiscing about that skating number. It was also the one where they paired me up with the only other little boy in our group. Yes, super supportive they all were.

I've had it long, short, medium, brown, blonde, brown with blonde, blonde with brown, bangs, no bangs, layers, and bobs. It's like I'm 7-years-old again when I go to the salon, I have this great idea in my head, because I saw it on someone that looked nothing like me and was somehow able to see myself rocking that same look. Sometimes I nail it, other times it bites the dust.

This time it bit dust. Hard.

I decided that I was going to save a little money and hold off on a haircut when I got back to Minnesota for Christmas and go to a girl I had gone to several years ago. I am also trying to grow my hair out for Casey's brother's wedding in June. My latest style was extremely cute, but I couldn't put it up in a ponytail and that's a deal breaker. I thought, a little trim to even out the inverted bob and a refresher brown color did not seem complicated, not even that inspiring, either.

I will say that I just love the girl who did my hair. We are the same age, we both have kids, she dresses so stylishly, and we have so much to talk about when I get my hair done. The experience in her self-owned hipster salon is awesome, and I think that's why I keep coming back. I forget that her haircuts are not that great.

After cutting for what seemed like seven-too-many minutes, she blow-dryed my hair, but stopped before it was completely dry. I know that it's better for your hair if you don't dry it completely, but if I allow just a little moisture to hang out, something from 1987 springs to life and I all of a sudden have a body wave. To finish the look, she only halfway straightened it and did no bumping, teasing, and spraying, which is essential in my hair-doing. When it was all over, I was still laughing from our conversation about TOMS that I was smiled and said, "Oh, great. Thanks so much." I paid her and left.

When I got home, I realized that it wasn't that great. The ends were not blended well and the layers were very obvious. I thought that perhaps the next day, I would do it myself and it would look better. It did not and again, I looked like seventh roommate on "Friends". When we got back to Phoenix, I himmed and hawed over the style and have been using bobby pins and lots of hairspray to try and make it look cute. Just recently, I decided to buy a new flat iron because my other one wasn't straightening that well, anyway, and it was my last hope. It helped somewhat, but something was still amiss.

So now I am contemplating. Do I ride this haircut out, feeling like a frumpy mom that's stuck in her high school years or do I bite the bullet and make an appointment at my regular salon to pay $50 for my snotty stylist just to blend and contour? Part of me is saying, yes, of course it's worth it. But the other part of me is saying, maybe in a couple months it will grow out and my next haircut will be done right.

Ugh! Decisions, decisions! Until I do make that final decision, you can find me sipping a coffee at Central Perk.

Fo' Sale Fo' Sure

Ever sold a house? I'm a FTHS (a first time house seller). After living in this "starter" house for almost five years, we have terribly outgrown its walls and need to find a place where I can have a desk, not a converted dining room closet that we made into an office. Which is actually really charming, I'm not going to lie.

To be frank, this house was a POS when we bought it. A single guy, that we are sure had some hoarding tendencies, was the previous owner. There was ugly wallpaper hung all over, brown 1984 tile, outdated brass lighting, and dirty carpeting. And we paid entirely too much for it in 2007, before "it" happened. You know, the economy. It was either this very unloved, tiny home or a glorified apartment they were selling as "condos". We opted for an actual house that needed a lot of TLC.

"It has good bones." We reassured eachother. And it was fun to look through magazines and envision a similar look in a room 5 times smaller. But those things cost a lot of money to change, so we did what we could, when we could afford it, while working full-time and paying a huge mortgage to boot. I can't even tell you how many Christmases and birthdays we asked for fans, mirrors, lights, and appliances. Bonuses were for the big ticket items like curbing and replacing the patio.

I often wondered, "What were we thinking?" as we repainted every wall and cabinet, replaced all the lighting, installed new floors and an air conditioner, and carefully planned the backyard. I apologize, I did none of this. Casey did it all, but I was an excellent pointer outer of the things that needed to be changed. When the house was finally looking good, I just couldn't be satisfied. The bathroom and kitchen cabinets, the master bathtub, the windows, the sliding glass doors all needed to be replaced and the list continued to grow and grow.

Enter baby. All of a sudden the house's walls got smaller and it felt like we were packed in like sardines. A 2-bedroom home should be enough space for 3 people, but it's not. If you have kids, you especially know what I mean. Kids have lots and lots and lots of crap. And they have lots of clothes. I'm talking a change of clothes for 2 months straight without repeating. Not only that, they get a new wardrobe every 3 months. Clothes, toys, and baby items were being shoved in corners, in closets, in gargage shelves, and under beds.

Needless to say, we realized that our cute little fixer-upper was not meant to raise a family and we never really intended to stay in this house for very long. But, you know, with the economy and all, we didn't really know if it was the right decision to go through the scariness that our parents would never dream of doing...like short selling or even FORECLOSING on a home! However, it's 2012 and what more can I say?

After recieving some very sound advice from an expert in the field, we have taken the plunge. We are giving the next buyer a 50% discount from what we paid! Aren't we so kind? I haven't been a home buyer in the new real estate situation, so I don't know what people are looking for or what they see out there. All I know is my little house and all the blood, sweat, and tears that [Casey] did to make it our home.

It's a process of vulnerability. We want to let people know how good this house has it now. How far this little lady has come from five years ago and the steal they are getting with her current price tag. But people are ten times more critical than I am to her. They, too, see all her flaws, like there isn't tile in the master shower and the windows need to be updated. I want to tell people about the chapter we have written in this home. We want them to see the good qualities that we really tried to emphasize with the little bit of money that we had. It's the first home we bought and came home to after we got married. It's where we brought home our first baby and gave him his first bath in the kitchen sink. We want this home to be nurtured and loved the way we have in the last five years.

But it isn't like that. It's stressful as we try to keep the house immaculate, putting its best foot forward, just in case people want to look at it. It's terribly difficult with a toddler running around specifically removing those items that I have placed just so. I am rearranging nap times to accomodate their schedules. And I can tell when shower curtains have been moved and closet doors have been opened after a showing. Let's hope none of them assume the dresser is included in the home, no one needs to be rummaging through my undies! You never know, though.

I want to ask them what they think and tell them the story about how we made the house better. I also don't want to know what they think, because seriously, whatever, they can suck it. I hope the house gets sold quickly to a person who will continue to make the house look warm, cozy, and inviting.

However, this is the nature of the beast and we are at the mercy of these fine folks who might perhaps want to buy it so we can move on in our lives, too. If you, or anyone you know is looking for a great, affordable 2-bedroom home in the Southeast Valley of Phoenix, AZ, please come on through!