Summer To Do List

I am a big believer in lists.  Although I may not stick to them all of them time, I make them more often than I probably should.  I have an assortment of shopping lists, music lists, and, mostly, To Do lists.  I've started a to do list for this summer that I really hope to accomplish, and luckily this list doesn't include doing dishes (although I'm sure I will be doing that very often anyways).

Summer To Do List:

• Go camping
• Go to the Farmer's Market
• Feed ducks
• Sit on the beach at night - I live literally 3 minutes from a beach, there's no reason not to.
• Go swimming
• Make homemade popsicles - I have found SO MANY great ideas on Pinterest
• Throw a party (or two, or five)
• Have a movie night - and have everyone sit on giant floor pillows
• Experiment on the grill - I've never really used a grill before!
• Make smores - smores bar!
• See fireworks
• Make messy art projects outside

Let me know if you have anything on your to do list for summer yet!  I'd love to add on to my list and see what you're up to.  Happy Friday!

Things I've Learned From My Brother

As some of you may already know, I come from a fairly large family (3 sisters and a brother) which rarely leaves room for dull moments.






My brother, Brandon, is turning 18 tomorrow!  I am so proud of him for sticking it through high school and getting everything into place so he can graduate in a month and he's become such a great guy because of all of the work he's done.  Congratulations, little brother, on everything you've accomplished and I couldn't be happier for you.  I know this is a big year for you and I can't wait to see what you come up with.

Things I've Learned from Brandon:

• Music is sometimes the only way to explain how you feel and can often explain it better than you can.
• Being a peacemaker is hard, so when in doubt, make them laugh.
• There's a lot to be said about the value of hard work.  There's also something to be said about sleeping until 5 PM.
• Don't be afraid to be goofy.  You can be your own best joke. But don't worry, people will still take you seriously.
• Homemade costumes can be just as great as store-bought.  However, homemade costumes are easier to fit over casts due to over-confidence in your Spidey Senses.
• Be interesting. Be amazing. Be a super hero.

Beautiful

I regularly check in on a blog called Little Things & Curiosities by Laura Marie.  Tonight, she posted this amazing entry about the magic of California, but I believe it kind of applies to wherever you're from (minus the redwoods, we don't have those here in Connecticut). Here's what she wrote, and I definitely recommend reading the rest of her blog posts if you enjoy this one.

"There's nothing quite like a long, lingering dinner, especially when you're sitting within a towering circle of redwoods, lights strung high above your heads, wine bottles filling the table, belly laughs leaving you doubled over for what feels like hours on end. There's nothing like jaunty, back-and-forth conversation filled with life's greatest meanings and most offensive, ridiculous jokes. There's nothing like dessert, and there's nothing — absolutely nothing — like almost-summer, that in-between season marked by lukewarm nights that remind you of childhood and fireflies, s'mores and flashlight tag."

Growing Out Short Hair

As some of you know, I've never really had long hair in my life.  The longest it ever was is pictured here in this embarrassingly old picture when I thought black hair and blue eye shadow were good for me...

March 9, 2010

I first chopped off all my hair in November 2011, which I had done at SuperCuts.  The woman who cut my hair absolutely refused to cut my hair as short as I had asked for so, after a frustrated drive home, I cut some of it off myself.  Since I am not a hairdresser, it was a huge fail.  However, I have some great friends who fixed it for me.

November 29, 2011

December 2011 - June 2012

After almost a full year of having super short hair, I realized how much maintenance it really is to keep it up.  If you got too long without a trim, it turns into a mullet.  If you have medium-thickness hair that has a slight wave and is prone to frizz (like me), the constant product-straightening-rewashing regimen really takes a toll on the ends of your hair.

August 28, 2012

I decided to grow it out in June 2012.  By August, I could twist and pin back the majority of my hair, which I did after dying it bright-ass red for a Poison Ivy costume at ComiConn.

September 20, 2012 - Color fading out, getting longer!

Growing hair out also takes a lot of maintenance and patience.  Trims and reshaping is unavoidable, unless you're really into having a mullet for something like six to eight months.  Luckily, the awkward length phases can be dealt with.

Before I could get it into that mini bun, I would french braid the two sides and just pin it back.  

I would also curl it and take the front sections of each side, twist them, and pin them in the back.  Curls are great at hiding different lengths in your hair and makes any awkward pieces blend in with the rest of your hair.

Now, I can get all of my hair up into a (tiny) ponytail, which is exciting for me because it's been so long since I could get all of my hair out of my face.  I want to get back to the length I had in the first picture, if not longer (without the harsh color) so I can do more of the cute things I saw on Pinterest.  Let me know if you have any suggestions for hair growth or keeping your hair healthy while heat styling (without greasy residue, I'm prone to greasy hair and it drives me crazy), or if you've also been trying to grow your hair out!

Please excuse my face, I just got home from work.

Catching Up

Alright, I'm back.

I thought that I would keep up with this blog during the moving transition, but unfortunately (and obviously) that didn't end up working out.  SO now, I have about three Random Acts of Kindness posts to put up and almost three other things to post entries for.

So, without further delays due to moving or work schedules, let's kick this off again.

Hi!  I'm Erica and it's nice to see you again. =)

Paused

I am so sorry to anyone who reads this blog for my absence..  I have been in the middle of moving madness as well as a new (temporary) job, waiting to start my new full time job and trying to get the (extremely expensive) repairs done on my car.  I will be back soon and hopefully catch up on everything I've neglected to post, as well as new things that have happened.  Sorry!

Happy Spring, I hope the weather is as nice where you are as it is here!