#2. Hacking Off All of My Hair

I’ve always worn my hair long…except for two times in my entire life.

The first time I was about 4.  My friend cut her hair short, so I had to do it, too. Then…I cried.

Exhibit A

The second time my hair ended up short unintentionally. I wanted curly hair in 5th grade. And that meant a perm…except my hair ended up crimpy, stinky, and not even shoulder length. I cried…again.

Exhibit B

Removed so I don’t die of embarrassment.

So when I decided to donate my hair, I had to wait until it was long enough that I wouldn’t end up in tears after cutting off 8 inches.

Exhibit C

I heard that Pantene donates a higher percentage of hair, so I donated my hair to them instead of Locks of Love.

Just in time, too, because my hair is turning gray fast.

Checked off another item on the 35 Before 35 list!

The Baby Came a Week Early…And There Was Much Rejoicing

Guess who decided to grace us with her presence a week early at 6-something AM on February 20th?

Congrats to Carrie, BlissfulBrit, and 1PointPerspective for guessing the correct day!

Let’s just call her Baby Scout to go with Boo and Radley.

Isn’t This SeaWorld? Where Are the Dolphins?

A few weeks ago, Kiefer and I took Boo and Radley to Florida for our family honeymoon. We visited friends, went to the Tampa Aquarium, and went to SeaWorld (#26 on my 35 Before 35 List).

Growing up, I wanted to be a marine biologist, so I could train dolphins and do this:

I did not know that to swim with the dolphins sometimes you get the short straw and end up dressing up like a bird…and don’t get to swim with the dolphins at all.

Seriously? It’s called “The Dolphin Show” because I want to see the dolphins. After seeing the show, I propose these more accurate names:

• The Why-Doesn’t-All-That-Actor’s-Make-Up-Wash-Off-in-the-Water (and Dolphin) Show
• The People-Who-Are-Crazy-to-Dive-Into-the-Water-From-That-High-Up (and Dolphin) Show
• The I-Don’t-Understand-the-Plot-of-This-Story-Where-Dolphins-Are-the-Supporting-Actors-Instead-of-the-Leads Show

None of us had ever been to SeaWorld before, but we thought it would be like Baltimore’s aquarium…only awesomer since B-more’s aquarium makes the a top U.S. aquariums list.

You know what else makes the top aquarium list? SeaWorld.

Apparently, our expectations too high.

We thought SeaWorld might have some educational value for Boo and Radley. We were wrong. However, we did learn…

1. PETA owns part of SeaWorld…WHAT?
2. Orca trainers can’t be in the water with the whales. Instead they (the trainers, not the Orcas because let’s face it, that would have been amazing) dance in one foot of water. And by “dance,” I mean side step.

Just last week an appeal was filed to let trainers back into the water, so we’ll see how that goes.

I wish I had some cool pics to show you of the Orcas, but here’s how all of those pictures look:

Missed him. Missed him again! And…again!

Favorite Comment From Last Post: “Honestly, that apple dumpling COULD have been sent to someone in need (ie: me) You should be ashamed.”—Carmen

With This Ring…

Only one thing stinks from Kiefer and I’s wedding: no pictures…yet.

We tried to keep our wedding on a budget, but we splurged on our photographers. They edit every single photo and then give us ALL of the photos.

But we won’t get to see those photos for a couple months. Lucky for us, our friends took some pictures.

Here are the highlights:

Boo walked me down the aisle.

Kiefer and I said our vows, and then we joined hands with Boo and Radley for some family words. The officiant said something along the lines of “May your life be full of…,” which ended with  Radley adding, “And lots of sweets!”

Of course. there was a kiss.

The boys exited with a jump…

And then I took a more graceful exit.

#5 on the 35 Before 35 List complete!

Favorite Comment From Last Post: “I remember my wife, when she was 8 months pregnant, bursting into tears and angrily telling me I could go off with THAT WOMAN if I REALLY WANTED TO. I’d just ordered some drinks from the barmaid in the pub.”—RuralSpaceMan

Are You Trying to Kill Me?

Right before I left for Greece, my coworker Ddot relayed a crazy pregnancy story about his wife.

When she was pregnant, she spent a lot of time on bedrest. One time while she was upstairs, she called downstairs to Ddot because she was hungry.

Ddot: I just finished up the dishes. Want me to bring up some of the ham we had yesterday?

Ddot’s Wife: Are you trying to kill me? ::begins crying::

Hormones are crazy things. While he comforted his wife, he asked her what she wanted instead. Her answer: a Whopper…with cheese.

I found the story hilarious and relayed it to Kiefer…and it became the tagline for our entire Greece trip.

• We ordered shrimp…which came with the heads on them. ::shudder:: I said, “Are you trying to kill me?”
• We ate frozen yogurt. Greek frozen yogurt does not taste like American frozen yogurt. Kiefer said, “Are you trying to kill me?”
• An hour later, I wanted a popsicle. Kiefer said,  “Are you trying to kill me?” Amateur….
• The day after I arrived I slept from 8 AM to 1 PM when Kiefer finally made me get up to go to the Acroplis. I said, “Are you trying to kill me?”
• The stones at the Acropolis are very slippery. Kiefer was definitely trying to kill me.

• Kiefer made plans to stay on the island of Milos…which meant a 4-hour ferry ride. I get motion sickness, so I said, “Are you trying to kill me?” Death by puking.
• When a little girl hounded us to buy a fan from her and my polite declines didn’t deter her, Kiefer scolded her in Russian. The look in her eyes said, “Are you trying to kill me?”

We spent our time in Athens and on the island of Milos. And I learned a lot, such as…

• The correct pronunciation of Greek for “please” and “thank you.”
• You can’t take pictures in the Acropolis Museum. Oops.

A photo Misty-style.

• Baklava has nuts in it; therefore, it counts as a protein. I ate a lot of protein.

#25 on my 35 Before 35 List completed!

Favorite Comment From Last Post: “I saw Home Alone as an in-flight movie once. When it was over, a kid got up and very carefully arranged a bunch of little toy cars in the plane aisle.”—Laura