two tales, one tail

and over a month later...goodness!  why does it get so stinkin hard for me to post on my blog...i just don't know.

anyway, i promised an ethiopia story and two ethiopia story i shall tell...i'm feeling very generous today.

story number 1.

third day in ethiopia, becca's (who i went to visit) landlady wanted to put henna in my hair...you know the stuff they draw with on your skin and it's like a rust color.  well, being the free spirit that i am, i said sure without a second thought.

exhibit a of why being a free spirit (aka. foolish...second thoughts can be very very wise) is not always a good idea: 

yeah i know, great pic, but what can you do.  look at the cute little coffee cup!  okay, so this totally does not do it justice, but let me point out one thing.  that lovely little purple scarf is very discretely covering the brightest of the bright, which in this picture would look more like the brighter of the not so bright, but oh well.  here let me try to give a more accurate depiction of what i actually looked like...

now we're talking...

okay, so when i got home i promptly scheduled a hair appointment to professionally color my hair...where i proceeded to throw up halfway through the dying process.  yeah, i'm pretty sure i had malaria...but i'm better now, just suffering from a little wounded pride is all, but now, my hair is on the mend, slowing working it's way back to my natural color (of course i found out that henna is about the most temperamental thing you can put in your hair...go too light and you'll be pink.  yey!)

story number 2.

one night becca and i were in a hotel (note, if your picturing something as nice as motel 8, take it down about 50 notches and you're there) and i suddenly heard scratching behind the headboard.  not a good sign.  the whole scene played out something like this...

me: becca!  there's something scratching!  what do i do! (consumed with mind numbing fear)

becca: go to sleep i'm sure it's fine (completely not caring)

later...

becca: now it's on my side! (surprised but not at all afraid)  oh well, just go to sleep.

me: are you sure? (still consumed with mind numbing fear)

becca: yes

later...

becca (quickly sitting up): it's in my hair!!!! (very surprised but not at all afraid)

me (seeing something dark fall out of her hair and scamper across the floor):  what was that!?! (paralyzed with mind numbing fear)

becca: i don't know...it's fine just go to sleep (flops back down and falls asleep)

me: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (shaking and hyperventilating as i proceed to wrap my hoodie as tightly around my head as possible and cover the rest of my face with my hand so nothing, absolutely NOTHING can touch my head!)  

needless to say i didn't sleep that night, but here's a picture of the room with me blissfully unaware of what's too come...

by the way, we later decided that the perpetrator was probably a little mouse...let's hope

back and no sign of swine...yet

so these past couple months i've been out...of the country...of the state...of the blogosphere...of my senses...of my mind...

but fear not! i am back and newly equipped to take this world by storm.  a few things about me that have changed since we were last bloggily acquainted:

1. my hair had a severe case of the raggedy ann reds (big thanks to becca's landlady in ethiopia...which refers back to the "out of the country" part earlier)

2. my hair was rushed into emergency therapy as soon as i got home and changed from a tacky red to a sweet dark reddish brown...much more sophisticated!

3. i have started excising a lot...i'm talking over 6 times a week a lot!  (out of my mind) and i'm loving it!  oh the things i thought i'd never hear coming out of my mouth...

4. (out of my senses) i have started going to bed earlier and waking up earlier too!  this is even crazier than #3.  seriously!  who am i?

there's more, but i'm officially brain dead since it's after 11:30, which is my new normal bedtime...i know!  let me tell you, one and all...no one is more shocked by this radical new me than yours truly.  

but another time, same place, i'll give you all my many little stories from

1. 9 days in ethiopia

2. 3 days in dallas, tx

3. all the in between

peace out, loves!

if the first one didn't convince you, maybe this one will...

...yes? ...no? ...maybe so?

what do you do for valentine's day when you don't have a man?

you have a collective date with gilbert blythe!

yes it's true. this valentine's day some friends and i decided it was high time we had an "anne of green gables" marathon...minus "the continuing story" which was a bitter disappointment! i even lit some candles to create atmosphere. (it was very romantic without the man...or as i like to call it, rotic)

it was a wonderful 9 hours (yes, i said 9) with some dear friends that i rarely have the pleasure of hanging out with...and some girls that i don't know very well at all, but had so much fun with! our list of events went as follows:

5:30 - started "anne of green gables: part 1" (green hair and all)

7:00 - started "anne of green gables: part 2" (oh matthew! *tear*)

9:00 - ZUMBA! (we couldn't very well spend the whole time watching movies w/out a little exercise! unfortunately i didn't think to capture this with my camera, but rest assured it was quite a sight)

9:30 - started "anne of green gables, the sequel: part 1" (that jen pringle is just plain creepy!)

12:30 - started "anne of green gables, the sequel: part 2" (ahh...that blessed bridge) complete with ice cream sundaes! (kudos to tara!)

the evening ended at a very late, but very fulfilling 2:30am. as i flopped into my comfy pillow top i felt very happy indeed with visions of a simpler time and words like "tragical" filling my sleepy head. goodnight miss anne with an e.

some pics of the evening

don't the memories just come flooding back! "...in dark foreboding, languid tones. he fervently stroked her alabaster brow..."

romance!

oh, gil! (actually, for the record, i never really cared all that much for gilbert...i fear i just made a few enemies...but in the spirit of the night i got a little carried away)

the gals (minus me and kimberly)

oh beloved website of ideas!

i found the most prettified(i thought i made that word up, but apparently spellcheck considers it valid...interesting) website/blog of all time! i love it! it's basically a compilation of photography, recipes, fabrics, decorating ideas, clothes, pretty shops...anything that stirs visual inspiration. in fact, i have it set to my favorites at work so i can use the ideas in my shop. smart, eh!



check it out at www.jubella.com

i look like a brit!

apparently, i've found my movie star clone, a british actress by the name of charity wakefield... i love that name, wakefield. it sounds so... so... british! i've always felt a strong connection to england, and now i know why!
*
cindy at mom and dad's office proudly informed me that she and her family have been watching bbc's version of sense and sensibility and they all agreed i look exactly like marianne. i haven't seen it yet, but am excited to see how good of an actress i am.
*
okay, i realize i'm taking this whole thing a little too far, but i've never looked like someone famous! well i guess i've been told i look like reese witherspoon before, but i don't think i look like her very much. besides, amber looks a lot like her, and it's never as fun to look little like someone when you have a friend who looks more like them. don't worry amber, i harbor no bad feelings towards you!
*
what do you think? is it a match? can you tell which one's me?
i'm sure mom and megan are rolling their eyes right now at how i took this so far as to pose like her.