Weekend recap and bobby pin 101

Hi everyone!

Whew! It’s been a whirlwind of a weekend! As I mentioned before, I went home to Ohio to visit my family. Friday night, I went over to my sister, Melanie’s, house for dinner with my brother-in-law, Nate, and my nephew Liam. We ordered pizza and it was so good. This little guy is getting SO BIG!

He sure loves his cat, Philly!

Later in the night, I hung out with my mom and her husband and watched half of the Pursuit of Happyness. Have you seen that movie? I absolutely love it and it’s great for the holiday! It really makes you think and not take things for granted.

Saturday morning, I woke up and despite the 20 degree weather, I went for a 3-mile run. This run was bittersweet for me. When my parents separated in 2005, my mom worked on moving out of our old house set in a beautiful neighborhood with tons of lakes. The neighborhood had a loop and I could never run around it. I attempted it many times and had biked around it often – but never ran. Now that I’m a runner and believe in myself more, I ran around it joyfully. While the run was emotional, it was also damn cold. During the first 15 minutes, I honestly thought my toes were going to fall off because of frost bite. Luckily, they warmed up but they did worry me! I decided to invest in some warm socks after that run I am slowly realizing that I love running in the cold weather. It can be extremely rejuvenating.

In the afternoon, I went for another Hair Intervention with Natasha (my hair stylist). I would like to title this class appointment as Bobby Pin 101. Basically, I don’t know how to use Bobby Pins. They honestly freak me out and I cannot figure out how to place the little buggers in my hair without them falling out or me losing a finger or tiring out quickly. Natasha taught explained that I’m probably not using GOOD Bobby Pins. I had no idea there were higher quality ones! As soon as I have time this week, I’m off to Sally’s for some high-quality Bobby Pins. (P.S… if you have fine hair like me and need body, check out ClassyFabSarah’s post about how she used simple hair clips to add body!). The hair appointment was, as usual, a success. I spend about 2-hours in the chair and when I saw the time, I said, “Oh, I should go – I don’t want your next client to wait!”

Natasha’s response: “Don’t worry. I allotted extra time for you so we can play!”

Haha, I love her and I love learning about my hair. I wish I went years ago! Doh!

Saturday night, I went to my dad’s girlfriends house for an ornament exchange party. It was great – tons of food and fun. Melanie, Nate, and Liam even made it for an hour (before Liam’s bedtime).

my daddio and I

Liam and I

Liam giving his mommy kisses

Sunday, I went shopping with my mom. I was really excited at first, but about halfway through, I became exhausted. To the point of me falling asleep at Dillards while my mom was trying to elicit my opinion on new boots. Even later, over dinner, I was practically nodding off at the table. I knew I shouldn’t drive back to Pittsburgh that night. So, I took an amazingly relaxing bath and went to sleep early. Waking up at 5 am to drive was difficult, but I managed and I’m back safely.

Now I need to unpack and then pack again for DC on Wednesday. Then, finish my holiday cards for my co-workers. I have so many to give out! I’m honestly stressed about sending them out this year. I may just do it next year – so sad.

Anyways, I hope you all are well and had a good weekend. Talk to you soon!

Julie