Birthday Weekend #1

My birthday weekend consisted of a lot of Buffy watching. Aaron got me season 3 and my inlaws got me season 4! I watched season 3 in about four nights.

Presents from Aaron

On Friday I rocked out to Kepi the Band, Captain 9's & the Knickerbocker Trio, and The Trouble Makers at Old Ironsides.

Kepi

Capt. 9's

 Trouble Makers

 

I have to say, The Trouble Makers make me feel old. Here they are, many years older than me and with way more energy than me. And, it's the same way every time I see them.

 Resting between bands at Old I

I didn't end up doing anything to my hair. 

My bangs are a mess, but they're growing.

On Saturday, I had a nice birthday get-together at my inlaw's house. Amy baked delicious lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting that I couldn't get enough of. So good!

I will be celebrating my birthday again next weekend with friends. One weekend just isn't enough, obviously.

I Have a Problem

A shoe problem.

When I went to put away my new birthday shoes, I realized I do own a pair of black flats. I had forgotten all about them because I never wear them because they're pretty uncomfortable.

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That's my shoe closet, minus one shelf for slippers and sandals. 

The bottom right pair be hubby's dress hoes.

They're Steve Maddens from Famous Footwear that I got a killer deal on -- $10, regularly $40.

I know compared to a lot of girls, I don't own that many shoes. But, considering I really only wear a few pairs on a regular basis, most of my shoes just gather dust from sitting so long. I have a couple pairs I've yet to wear out of the house. I just love shoes.

I don't regret my new purchase because the Madden Girl shoes kill my feet, and the studs scrape the tops of my toes, but I can't believe I completely spaced that I did in fact own a similar pair. I think my next shoe-related purchase will be full gel inserts. I really need them. Cute shoes hurt, even Chucks.

Happy Birthday to Me. I'm Old Now.

I'm officially in my late 20s. I'm 27 today. I did not make my weight-loss goal, but with the stress of the last couple weeks, I didn't expect to.

I haven't had time to post as I'm trying to write more for my clients to make up for my husband's unemployment running out. The Sacramento job market sucks, in case you hadn't heard.

We live in a kind of a disaster of house -- a house I love, nonetheless -- and have had some major plumbing problems while husband does a DIY remodel on the master bathroom. Chaos is a good word to describe life lately.

I really wanted to treat myself to a few things for my birthday with my birthday money, but since we're in a crazy tight bind, I really held back and only got two things have been on my list for a long time:

black ballet flats, on sale for $11 at Payless

new sunglasses, because I lost my last pair in the ocean.

Payless has everything buy one, get one half off, so my sunglasses were $5.

I found the most AMAZING 50s cat-eye sunglasses with rhinestones at Icing,

but they were $14, and I couldn't bring myself to spend that much. 

Maybe some day ...

I was at the mall to see Tangled. It was pretty cute. The Regal/UA theater at Sunrise gets movies after they have been out for awhile, so they are only $3.50 during the week and $3.75 on the weekends. They get a lot children's movies. It's a great way for a family to save money.

Take That, Uncle Sam!

Taxes done!

What a relief. As someone who supports herself almost entirely through freelance work, filing my taxes is a pain in the butt. And, I'm ashamed to admit, I had a horrible record-keeping system this past year and had to scramble to gather all my expenses and deductions.

But, it's done! It's done! Hooray! Hooray! And, we get a nice refund.

I celebrated by splurging on a Living Social deal: two Fandango tickets for just $9 total. Now I can see a movie for my birthday. Hopefully I won't regret the theater-experience. Here's the deal. 

Hair Tales

It's March 1st. That means I turn 27 in nine days. Ahhhh!

I often change my hair for my birthday, and I'm totally unhappy with my hair now, but not sure what to do with it. I recently cut my bangs, and went against my instincts and snipped-snipped where I shouldn't have. I know the rules of bang-cutting, and I broke them. I'm at a loss. The color is fine. The bangs are horrendous. Much worse than the picture.

Here's my hair on Valentine's Day. 

The bangs a tiny bit longer now. 

Haircuts of past birthdays:

Last year, Great Clips cut my hair, and Aaron helped me dye it.
For the cut, I used a Katy Perry picture for inspiration.
I love her style. I just can't stand her when she opens her mouth.

 

For my 25th birthday, 

I sported bangs I could wear straight or sweep to the side 

with hair tapered in the front. 

I was my go-to blond color.

I celebrated turning 24 with side-swept bangs and a lighter auburn color. 

And struck another dorky pose, apparently.

I didn't get a special haircut for my 23rd birthday 

because I was growing out my hair for my wedding.

My 22nd birthday was the year that started the birthday transformations. 

Up until that year, I had had long, blond hair for a long time.

I dyed my hair a dark auburn, 

Great Clips added layers in front and side-swept bangs.  

Rory Gilmore's new college 'do was my hair inspiration.

Added bonus: Silly artsy photo.

SUGGESTIONS?

If I pin back the sides of my bangs, they look better. It's going to take a long time to grow out the hair that should have never been bangs. I shouldn't cut my bangs in the middle of the night. Lesson learned.