Life is Short: Live Your Dream and Wear Purple Hair

...Or maybe it's, "Life is short, live your dream and wear your passion."

Ah, hell! All I know is this: While I was all hopped up on turning 32, I read the side of a Lu Lu Lemon bag that told me to "Do something every day that you're afraid of...."

AND THEN, I came home with a mane full of shockingly purple hair. Some might even dare to call it a purple fro. Whatevs.

It's glorious. And it's purple. Really, REALLY purple :)

I'm not going to lie y'all. I suffered a massive cardiac infarction at its unveiling and then I shotgunned a beer to calm my nerves. When that didn't do the trick I turned to tequila. Soon thereafter, I decided that my new purple do was rather delightful.

I was really hopeful things were getting better when I took my first few showers and purple streamed down the drain. Sure enough, its lightened into an even MORE fabulous shade of purple. Not a more subtle shade. Nope. Not really. Just more purple and less electric blue :) And I really do love it!

I've already survived half of a day in the office (terrifying) and meeting the bf's (OMG) parents. (Quite unfortunate timing and he wouldn't let me reschedule ;)

See! Purple hair has brought a WHOLE new meaning to facing one's fears... Or even better, my personal favorite, just plain avoiding them.

Yeahhhhhh, so... About that... I have a sneaking suspicion when Pops and Sister get wind of this my ass is totally grass :) But until then I say: Watch out world! I've got my sassy pants on AND I'm rockin' this purple hair.









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Conversations with Sister

I have a pretty fantastic Sister.... And I really wanted to start this blog by writing, MY SISTER IS BETTER THAN YOUR SISTER! But seeing as that might cause a fist fight or spark an ugly debate, let's skip all that :) Please rest assured though, she is truly a splendiferous Sister and you should all be envious. Moving on.

So this morning I received a phone call at 8 am from said wonderful big Sister. Which is truly a shocking and note worthy event in itself. Anyone that knows this incredible woman KNOWS she's not exactly a morning person. (Understatement y'all) In fact, before having the world's most wonderful chil'rens, anyone tempting to speak to said Sister before noon, would run the risk of losing life or limb.

...And they named me Gator. Ha! Sister, aka: Bobeara (heavy emphasis on the "bear") has always been a powerful force to be reckoned with.

Now then... Back to my story. Sister called this morning just to check in as we've been playing phone tag seemingly for weeks. Chil'rens safely deposited at their respective educational institutions she had exactly two spare moments to potty alone and call her most favorite little sister. It sort of sounded like she might have been fending off the attack of a 4 pound Poo-Frische pup (also known as a Bichon-Poo, I like the sound of Poo Freeze best), but she remained non-plussed. She's a cool customer. Ice water in her veins.

When I told her I was considering a few tasteful purple highlights in my hair to mark the end of my State Board season and as a celebration of completing the first 32 years of my magical life... I was met with silence on the other end of the phone. Poor Sister.

I said, "So I'm totally thinking about having a few purple highlights put in my hair next week. Do you think I should do a small snip underneath my bangs, or a small lock underneath near my neck? I mean... I'd really prefer a few feather extensions, but they're soooooo 2011."

SILENCE.

I giggled. "Silly question right? Because I can actually feel you cringing from 200 miles away."

Sister answered, "Weeeelllll. What will your patients think? What if something goes wrong?"

As visions of Rainbow Bright-esque purple fringe filled my head, I shook it off and said, "Eh. It'll be fine. They're all hippies anyway. Besides, it's Austin. I'm either getting a tattoo or purple hair. Pick your poison."

Dearest Sister immediately responded, "Oh God! Purple hair! I think purple hair will look GREAT, AND I can cut it off while you're sleeping... That tattoo might be a little tougher..."

So there you have it folks. Conversations with Sister. And THAT'S just ONE of the many reasons I love my Sister so much and have decided that she's way cooler than yours. Or at least more conservative. Cool AND Conservative. That's my girl!

So what do y'all think? Purple bangs? Purple underneath? Tattoo?? ;)

Lessons From My Magical Life

I will be 32 in just a few short days... And I'm stoked! How things change.

I look back to where I was at age 29, as I was approaching the horizon of the Big 3-0, and I remember all the fears and self doubt I had. That startling realization that regardless of whether or not you've decided to participate, life keeps flying by. The: How can I already be 30? Where did time go? I don't want to be a grown up! I'm not satisfied with my fitness. How come I'm not more successful or farther along in life?

And then! I had the best 30th birthday imaginable, one of the best years of my life and time has shown me that my magical life is truly getting better every single day. I honestly had no idea my 30's would be so damned amazing.

Then I have to wonder why my 20's were such a struggle... Was it school? Yes. That was traumatic but only because my perspective was so much different. Was it the fear of beginning a career? Was it my fear of the big, wide world and all of its magic, its opportunities and the risk of failure? Of course.

I realize I was so unsure and unhappy because I thought life happened TO me. I was a passive, dreary passenger just along for the ride. I viewed happiness as something to be found or caught like a herd of wild horses. Something fleeting that slipped through my fingers. I had yet to discover that I get to manufacture my own happiness, I get to decide to follow my own passions and it's a choice I make to live each day joyously. It's my choice to shine.

And here I am! I wake up everyday with overwhelming gratitude. Overwhelming joy! I am finally living an absolutely charmed life. I have an amazing, fulfilling career. I have the best family and the most fantastic friends a girl could ask for. I have achieved a rocking level of health and fitness and I enjoy the opportunity to improve a little more each day. I truly am a success on so many levels because I am following my passions and doing something daily that brings me joy.

So cheers to living life happily. Hurray for 32! Now then, can someone please turn the volume down on that little voice of alarm that peeks through my sunshine occasionally? The one that speaks aloud my fears and doubts. Please tell her that I've totally got this. I plan to shine a bit brighter everyday and I fully commit to basking in the magic that I create while I participate in my fantastical, splendiferous, amazingly charmed life :)