chopped

so... drumroll, please... this morning i chopped it all off!  yes, my hair!  it's now 10 inches shorter and feels super light.

(to read about my decision to donate to locks of love, go here).

i made it through the summer and most of winter without getting it cut, and although i didn't have a set timetable in mind, something told me it was time.  i loved my long hair but it was getting harder to manage (especially when it's cold and i need to blowdry it every morning).  i was also afraid that if i waited any longer that i wouldn't be able to bring myself to actually cut it.  so i called a bunch of salons and found out that hair cuttery would cut and mail out my hair for me.  now that i had a location, i just needed a day.

when i asked my bff when she would be free to come to my hair appointment for moral support, she asked me if i was sure.  i told her i was (or at least, i thought i was).  so we set the date and tentative meeting time, and all that was left to do was to make sure i showed up.

i felt increasingly anxious last night into this morning and even more so as i waited for my turn.  once in the chair though, i was ready.

ready...

set...

go!

my stylist asked me if i was ready before my first cut, and with one quick snip.. it was done.  there were others in the salon at the same time who asked me if i was donating to locks of love, and when i said yes there were comments about what a great organization and charity it was.  that was what made the whole process easier for me: the thought of my hair going to a disadvantaged child.

afterwards, my bff and i went for an impromptu lunch.  special thanks to her for helping me keep it together.

my hair hasn't been this short since i was 16, which was 15 years ago!  i do have to say that the whole experience was quite liberating.