"Hair" today and gone tomorrow

,(This picture is actually from October 2007, but it gives you an idea of before.)
I am sure some of you know how proud I am of my girls for donating their hair to Locks of Love when they were both just 4 years old. Well, Emi gave her hair again this past May, 4 and 1/2 years after her first time. When people have asked me why my girls have donated their hair to Locks of Love, I have responded with something like, "Why not? It's only hair. It grows back." Well dear readers, I bit the bullet on Monday and had 10 inches of my hair hacked off, too! My friend, Dana - hairdresser extraordinaire - who does my hair, applauded me for being so brave. She laughed as she said, "I know how hard this is for you, because you always tell me 'only 1 inch, not 2!'"

So why was it such a big deal for me? I guess because I am a creature of habit. It's habit to comb through tangles, habit to wait a couple for hours for my hair to dry, to fight with summer frizz and flatness and winter-time static, it's even habit to pull my hair up or back because I can't think of anything else to do with it.... Hey, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all! (Even if Annie -who watched Dana chop my tresses with a single, swift movement - had to peer into my face and ask, "Are you the same mom?")

And hair grows back.