An insecure challenge

Due to technical difficulties (ahem, the 'rents went on vacay and didn't send me the pictures I requested!), my embarrassing high school hair photos have been postponed. Please, try to contain your sobbing. They'll be here soon...pending parental return from a holiday in the big N.O.

So today instead, we'll talk about why 'going curly' is intimidating. Those of you with straight hair, or even just slightly wavy hair, might laugh. Those of you with true curly hair will nod and sigh in agreement.

The main reason that I don't like my curls is because curly hair does not exist in popular culture.

I'm talking true curly hair--kinky, spiraled, uncontrolled, frizzy, ringlet curly hair.

That stuff they do with curling irons doesn't count.

Consider this popular magazine and its cover girl's long, luxurious straight hair:

Or Elle magazine's "Best Hair in America 2011" winner:

Or these two ads from magazines I found in my bedroom:

When America thinks 'beautiful, professional, photogenic woman,' we default to straight hair. A Google search for "how to have straight hair" brings up 21.3 million results. A search for "how to have curly hair" reveals 20.6 million answers. That's almost 1,000,000 more webpages devoted to straightening hair than to curling it.

Now, before you ditch me as a curlyhead with a nasty case of straight-jealousy, I issue you a challenge.

Spend the next week really examining pictures of women in common media,

whether TV shows, movies, advertisements, or magazines.

Count how many truly curly girls you find

(and remember that curling-ironed hair doesn't count!).

It's ok to have straight hair. It's ok to love straight hair.

It's not ok to love straight hair so much that other types feel the need to conform.

Two Ways to Conquer a Rock

(note: not sure these videos actually work, still learning that feature of Blogger! if they don't work, let me know and I'll try fixing it tomorrow)

We learned two ways to conquer a rock on our hiking trip. Choose your solution wisely, the wrong choice will hurt....

(1) Jump Off It

(2) Slide Down It

White Oak Canyon = highly recommended!

Hiking and an excuse

A couple weekends ago, a group from my church went hiking in Shenandoah National Park.

We found an awesome rock for jumping into a very chilly pool of water.

And this is my favorite picture of the day:

Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge Mountains are ranked pretty high on my list of 'Most Beautiful Places in the World.'

Also, a note and an excuse: I have a backlog of emails and a very messy room...and this has been the static state for almost 2 weeks now. So please excuse the limited blogging this week. Curly Chronicles will be here on Friday...but there won't be much chatter this week, just a couple videos!

A confession

I'm a curly girl.

Yup, that's my confession. That beautiful straight-hair shown on my profile picture?

It's a fake.

This is my real hair:

Why is this a confession? Because I've been hiding or modifying my curls for the past 13+ years.

And I've decided it's time to stop.

See, a co-worker convinced me to read this book last month:

It was inspiring. In the world of Curly Girl, a little unruliness, a little frizz, a little unpredictability and lack of control are ok. In fact, those things are accepted, cherished, and even celebrated!

Halfway through the book, I made a decision. A 'hasty vow,' of the sorts the Bible warns against. I would spend the whole month of August without altering my curls--I would nourish, cherish, and learn to live with them.

August has arrived. So with a trepidation, I trimmed up my hair and started the experiment.

In honor of this latest experiment, I'm going to start a bit of a mini-series on my blog. Tune in every Friday for the "Curly Chronicles." Next week: a discussion of some deep secrets from the past (as in, yes, there might be embarrassing photos of high school age m-wah...eek!).

august-ness

The internet defines "Augustness" as "The eighth month of the year in the Gregorian calendar." Funny how quietly life slips by when one is no longer in the rhythm of semesters and progressive accumulation of scholastic awards.

I rather like the alternative definition of "Augustness": Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic: See Synonyms at grand." July had a very inauspicious ending, despite accomplishing all three of my goals: 2 Cor. 5:14-17 is firmly in my brain, Harry Potter is finished and I'm raring to see the movie, and I intentionally spent time outside. August has had an inauspicious start, though what can you expect when a month starts on a Monday? But I have hope that August is going to be a grand month, one worthy of much "Augustness."

And to initiate the grandiosity, what better than my goals for August? Without further ado, the list, along with some intended posts so you can keep me accountable:

• Memorize 2 Cor. 5:18-21
• Earn 1.0 or more fitness CECs (expect a post about my 10+ hours of workout at the DCAC Fitness Convention next week!)

• Sewing Projects: Finish some, start and finish others, reconsider the rest. (I'm no Martha Stewart, but a friend and I have a sewing day planned...and I'm sure you'll see posts from both of us regarding that.)

• Study Spanish 3 hours a week (habla espanol? mi amiga Britt-Britt esena me!)
• Run the Leesburg 10k! (under 58 minutes is my goal...we'll see...)

• Finish reading Microbe Hunters (a book I picked up for the Bro and started reading for myself)

And last, but certainly not least, the goal I undertake with the most trepidation:

• Go curly. (more about this on Friday)

to start the week, a laugh.

Here's a little photo essay I call, The Evolution of the Self-Portrait.

Step 1: "Let me get a picture of you guys standing awkwardly at the airport waiting for me to leave!"

Step 2: "Wait, I should be in the picture too since we're a family!"

"That was too dark, let's try again."

Step 3: "Still too dark, plus my arm is really white. Bro, you take the picture!"

Step 4: Position everyone correctly.

"Wait, Bro, your hefty hunky shoulders are blocking mom..."

Step 5: Ta-da! A successful family self-portrait.

Step 7: Remember why you should always hire a professional photographer for actual family portraits.