New and improved

Now that the weather is cooler, I decided to darken my hair color. I do this every fall/winter, but this time we went more dramatic. You see, I have this thing about my hair. I call it "Hair ADD." And I'm trying really hard not to cut it short, so that means getting creative with hair color and style.

So last week I went to my stylist for an appointment, and we decided to go edgy -- which means dark and dramatic. I'm pretty sure this is darker than my natural color, though I have no idea what my natural color is since I've been coloring my hair since I was like 15 or something.

Anyway ... here are a couple pictures of it that were taken tonight (after curling it with a curling iron this morning).

A self portrait

A portrait by Allen

I'm not sure you can really get the full impact of how dramatic a change the color is since the background of the pictures are dark, but let me tell you, it's a huge difference. I'm curious to know what ya'll think of it ....

So, now that I have an office, I have modified my morning and evening habits a little bit. Basically, I spend both the morning before the boys wake up and the evening before I go to bed, in the office.

And I'm drinking Sleepytime tea ...

And I listen to Pandora. Which is incredibly soothing and enlightening. I love having the time to myself. I use the time to catch up with friends on Facebook; to write; and to relax.

I feel like I need this time to myself because I've been feeling awfully restless lately ... like I need to expend creative energy. This time alone allows me to explore my writing and to be productive with my work; but in an environment that relaxes me. It's fabulous!

Well, that's all on this topic. Hope ya'll have a fabulous week.

xoxo,

Leggy

Big News Revealed

I can now share with you my big news ... I am officially a published writer! Check out my new page on Examiner.com. You can also click on the button to the right of my page to view my articles at any time (by the way, I get paid per click, so I'd appreciate it if you would visit often).

Hooray!!!!

xoxo,

P.S. I'm having another celebratory drink tonight :)

My Blogging Hero

Once upon a time, I thought I was going to have a career in journalism. I really wanted to do it. I love to write. I even went to school for it (sort of ... it was my minor while at WCU). And then a bunch of other stuff happened. And being that I'm not particularly ambitious or driven, I decided that the amount of effort it would take to try to make it in journalism was probably more than I wanted to devote to a career (especially since I'm just an average writer, and there are tons of more talented people whose written word I'm privileged to read daily).

I guess my starting this blog was my way to "write" again. And since I've started blogging, I've become quite smitten with the entire blogosphere. A couple months ago I stumbled across a lovely blog, and am now a devoted reader. It's in my favorites, and I read it every day. The blogger is a talented writer and journalist and she has become my blogging hero. Over this past weekend, Joanna Goddard, at A Cup of Jo, got engaged. While I usually don't comment on strangers' blogs, I was overcome with happiness and could not resist. I left a brief congratulatory comment on her blog. Can you imagine my surprise, delight, and awe when I discovered that she posted a comment on two of my posts?!?!

Perhaps this doesn't seem like a big deal to you, but this is a fabulous journalist, who writes for incredible magazines. She's been interviewed on CNN, she has a regular blog on Glamour.com. She's amazing. And she VISITED MY BLOG. Joanna, I love you. Thank you for gracing my blog with your presence!