Life & Love

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Life These Days (In a Nutshell)

– Work is so busy! But in a good way. We have the Elected Officials BBQ coming up, two BizMixes, a bunch of Ribbon Cuttings, and the Safety Awards with the Department of Labor. I am thankful every day I have a job here where I feel useful and valued.

– Monday was Month 3 of deployment! I must say – my days go quickly, but the time on the calendar is dragging rather slowly. It feels like it’s been way longer than three months. In some ways, this deployment is easier than the first. In other ways, it’s harder.

– I’m heading home to DC this weekend, partially for my high school reunion, but also to see my girl friends, since my trips home are generally stretched too thin to see much of them! Should be fun (though I’m still a little nervous about the reunion! And whatever will I wear?!)

– I’m officially moving out of my house June 1, since our realtor is an idiot and screwed up our lease terms. It’s a huge/expensive pain in the tushy, but I’m grateful I found someone willing to rent me their house for 3 months…before we pack up and move yet again for GA!

– My search for cruelty-free beauty/hygiene products continues! As it turns out, all lists out there are kind of… inconsistent. It seems that brands are opening their markets to include China, which requires animal testing on everything. So rather than lose the Chinese market, companies are reversing their position on animal testing. HOWEVER, the EU just passed legislation forbidding cosmetic animal testing going forward, regardless of where the testing was done.. so it will be interesting to see how the companies adjust. I guess I need to decide how serious to get about this. Le sigh!

– I went to the doctor yesterday for my annual physical and am happy to report a clean bill of health! I did receive my 10-year tetanus/ whooping cough booster, however… and my arm still aches. Aren’t those diseases obsolete yet?!

– Finally, I need a good book to get hooked on, as I am relying far more than usual on TV to entertain me on lonely nights. Actively taking suggestions!

Love this. Love Alice (and Dinah.) Alice in Wonderland one of my fave books/movies of all time! Wizard of Oz is pretty good too. I need a whimsical brunette BFF who loves sparkly red shoes…

“Lilly loved all animals but these were her favorite.”

A fellow cat lady who loves pretty colors, parties, and dresses – Lilly and I are total soul sistas!

Saturday night’s Azalea Festival Patrons’ Gala in downtown Wilmington.

It was fun to dress up and go out. Of course, I wish Chuckles had been on my arm (not that these fine ladies – and gentleman – weren’t amazing dates, of course!) Good times 🙂

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Life is Beautiful

I found out this week that a girl I know was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) at 28 years young. She is more than a mere acquaintance, but not quite a close friend. Aside from my mother’s mental illness, this is the closest I’ve been to anyone receiving devastating news about one’s health.  I hear of things – but they never (thankfully) hit close to home…

It puts life into rather harsh perspective. I remind myself to thank God for a healthy body and a healthy mind – every single day. Neither is guarenteed, and not everyone is so blessed to have both. You can lose either literally overnight.

This girl is an inspiration with the way she is dealing with her diagnosis. There is no cure for MS, and she knows she has a long road ahead, but her spirits remain high and she’s focusing on the positives. It makes me feel so bad for all the complaining I do. Because life is pretty wonderful – and even she knows it.

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It’s the Small Things

I just want to take a moment to rejoice at the condition of my hair and my eyelashes these days. For years, both were in such bad shape, mostly due to over-processing and the abuse of clip-in extensions and falsies during my Bad Kitty days. Those were a ton of fun, but they really did take such a toll, especially after crashing with them still in… no bueno. Literally, my hair was clean ripped off in some places (I just played them off as choppy layers…)

Anyway, I took a break on the extensions. Wore false lashes less frequently. Of course, going out on the town less certainly helped with these efforts. I also started using Agadir Argan Oil spray on my hair (basically Moroccan oil) and swiped lotion on my lashes at night before bed (weird, I know.) But it has made SUCH a difference! Even other people have been complimenting the condition of my hair, compared to the old days. I’m at a point where I can say I’m happy with both my lashes and my hair – longer, fuller, notably healthier… and I still get to highlight 🙂

Lately, I don’t even feel the need for extensions or falsies (except maybe for a truly special occasion that involves lots of pictures.) I recently purchased Revitalash (basically non-prescription Latisse) to encourage lash growth, and it seems to be helping as well.

I sound so high maintenance haha… but my hair has always been so fine and scrawny, it’s nice to have some life in it!!