Slowly Catching Up - April Updates

I have not been good about keeping up with the blog.  I have several posts drafted and am working to get pictures uploaded.  I am slowly catching up.  I still have to do the May posts and finish the posts about our vacation back in April, but I have finished the other April posts.  Click the links below to see the new posts!

Dallas Arboretum Field Trip

Baby Avance Reveal Party

Ranger Game

The Gift that Keeps on Giving - April (Lobster)

Good Things in 2012 - April

Growing, Growing, Gone!

Yep!  It was time...

My hair has been driving me crazy for a while now, and I finally got it cut last night...almost two feet of it!

Starting late last summer, I would periodically have friends and family ask if I was growing my hair out to donate it.  At that point, I definitely wasn't.  I thought that colored hair wouldn't be accepted as a donation, so I hadn't even considered it as an option.  Then, in November, I went to get my hair cut and highlighted with the plan to have it cut just past my shoulders.  As we were talking, my sweet hairdresser, Sarah Bryan, asked if I had ever considered donating it.  When I told her that I hadn't because it was colored, she said that you could donate colored hair as long as it was healthy!  At that point, I decided to have her add some long layers to give it a little change, but I opted not to have her cut it too much so that I could get all the info and cut it for donation at my next appointment.

When Sarah sent the information to me, we were both disappointed after looking at the details and learning that they (Locks of Love) will accept colored hair but not bleached hair (most highlights, including some of mine, are bleach).  At that point, I had made up my mind that I wanted to donate, so I was really disappointed.  I started doing some research of my own and found several organizations that accept hair donations (if interested, see more details below).  Each one has different length, color, cut date and other donation requirements.  Exactly ONE of those organizations accepted bleached hair.  I was thrilled to email Sarah with the results of my research!

It was a long time coming, but I finally got an appointment scheduled for "donation day."  Stephanie went with me to take pictures and also got her hair done.  It was a fun evening with Stephanie and Sarah.  It was wonderful to finally get a lot of my hair cut off, but it made it even more exciting that I was going to be able to donate it.  Sarah was thrilled and made it that much more fun as she chopped it all off!

Plus, how can you not be excited about helping improve the self-esteem of a child who does not have hair of his/her own?

Photo Credit

Before

Braided and ready to go

Cutting

Feels so much better!

After

When Sarah got ready to cut and style, we talked about it more and ended up deciding to cut it shorter than we had initially planned.  We probably could have cut more for donation.  :o(  Oh well...the braided pony tails were 14.5 inches, which means the actual hair donated was even longer.  One hair pulled from a braid was 20 inches long!  Sarah also thinned out my thick hair quite a bit.  Even after cutting off all those pony tails, there was a lot of hair on the floor when she was finished!

It has been a long time coming, and I love it!  Michael was so excited to see it!

Sarah, thanks for the great cut and color.  I have gotten several compliments today, and you have gotten some as well!  :o)

If you are looking for a new place to get your hair done, I highly recommend Sarah's Salon.  Sarah is super sweet and has very reasonable prices.  If you schedule an appointment, let her know that I sent you to get a discount on your first appointment!

*****

Organizations that accept hair donations (Click organization name to go to donation requirement page.)

1. Children with Hair Loss:  Hair must be at least 8 inches long.  They do accept gray hair and chemically treated hair!
2. Locks of Love:  Hair must be at least 10 inches long.  They do accept gray hair and  colored and/or permed hair but not bleached hair.
3. Childhood Leukemia Foundation:  Hair must be at least 10 inches long.  They do not accept colored or chemically damaged hair.
4. Wigs for Kids:  Hair must be at least 12 inches long.  They do accept gray hair, but they do not accept hair that has been chemically processed (perms, color-treated, or highlights).
5. Wigs 4 Kids:  Hair must be at least 10 inches long.  They do not accept hair that has been colored or  chemically damaged.
6. Pantene Beautiful Lengths:  Hair must be at least 8 inches long.  They do not accept hair with permanent color, bleach, or other chemical treatments, and it must be <5% gray.