Hair

I have a hair appointment scheduled in a few weeks and I'm trying to figure out what color to dye my hair. There are so many options for blonde.

There's too blonde:

Medium blonde:

And not enough blonde:

Right now, I'm "not enough blonde". I want something in between "too blonde" and "medium blonde"....but I'm having a hard time finding the right color in a photo. I have the image in my head, but need an example...

I really like this color. I think it would look great with my skin tone, especially with summer coming up. I know my skin will get a little darker, so the brighter blonde would look great. And it still looks like a natural blonde, which is an absolutely must!

I think we found the winner!

What do you think?

Why is it always my responsibility?

One of the things that has really been upsetting to me lately is the fact that out of all my friends, I seem to be the only one who invites anyone anywhere. How come I have to be the one to pursue these ideas? How come I always have to do the inviting, but rarely get invited anywhere? It's becoming a pain in the ass. I don't think I should have to go to efforts of figuring out something that I want to do, then try to get some friends to join me. Hell, I should just do them on my own. Forget inviting people who don't have the decency to be creative and come up with ideas.

And what about the flaky people who you care about and enjoy being with, but who don't give a damn about you and are only selfish people who do what they want? What about those people? My best friend was in a different state for four months and when she returns she doesn't even bother to call me to let me know that she's here. Instead, she finds other "more important" friends to hang out with. What a selfish thing to do!

I am in desperate need for a change. Honestly, I'm sick of the people in my life. I'm sick of babysitting and taking care of everything. Do I need to move or something? What can I do? My family is here, my "friends" are here, my job is here, my life is here. Should I give all of that up to experience something different; experience people who DO give a damn; experience life changing things? I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. It's something that I need to decide on my own and there's no one who can help my decision. It's definitely been something I've been thinking about for a long time now. Years, in fact. I just have never had the guts to actually do it.

Blogging

Blogging has become such a huge part of society. I'm hearing about celebrities "setting the record straight" through their blogs. This has encouraged me to blog more...not that anyone actually reads my blog...but it helps me break up my thoughts and look at everything from the broader scope.

My friend, Amy, just got engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Bob. I'm so excited for the two of them!! It's been a long time coming! I'm going up to Boise in a few weeks to visit and help out with anything I can for the wedding. I like Boise a lot. It's a fun city with a great nightlife...unlike Salt Lake City. I definitely need to get away for a few days. I can't wait!

The ski season is almost over. One of my hometown resorts, Deer Valley, is planning on closing Easter weekend. I hope I can get out a few more times before then. I'm planning on going every weekend (only three more weekends left). I have been skiing every weekend, and I think I've gotten in a good 50 days. It's been a good year. The snow wasn't there this year, but I was able to get out a lot more than I did last year. I'm trying to take full advantage of my season passes!

Speaking of Easter, it's just around the corner! Easter is one of my favorite religious holidays. I enjoy going to church on Good Friday, and Easter Sunday morning. We have a great brunch at my church on Easter. I'm too old for an egg hunt, but a few years ago, my friend, Lauren, and I decided on spray painting beer bottles to look like Easter eggs. We made up a game. One person would go out into the yard and hide eight beers. The other two would then run around looking for the beers (much like an egg hunt), and as soon as one was found, they had to chug it before they could go looking for another one. WOW! We had such a great time doing it! We haven't played it since. Maybe this year is the year to get back into it!

I'm going to New York over Memorial Day weekend to visit my brother who lives out there. I have always envied my brother. He moved to Chicago in his 3rd year of college, and continued living there for an additional two years afterwards. He then decided to move to NYC to pursue his film career. He now works for BET as a camera operator and gaining the experience of a lifetime. I can't wait to go out there and see New York as it is meant to be seen. Last time I was out there, I saw the tourist attractions, but this time, I want to see the local attractions. Any suggestions??

Spring begins this Friday. I'm excited for summer, but I will miss winter. I love winter! I love the snow and I love to ski. But I had a good five months of skiing, so I'm ready for it to end. Spring is almost like a new beginning for everyone. The flowers come out and start a new life; grass grows new; blue skies bring thoughts of happiness and hope.

Looking back at the last year of my life, a new beginning is exactly what I need. There have been a lot of disappointments in the last year. I have been the happiest I've ever been, but then lost it all and experienced one of the most difficult things of my life...love. I also had to put my dog down; the dog I had for 16 years. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, and I have experienced a lot of death in my life.

I almost feel like I need to leave Utah in order to experience the new things that I need in my life. I absolutely love Utah, and I love Park City and my job. But I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck. The economy is so horrible right now that finding another job is nearly impossible. It's definitely not the time to start looking. My 20-year plan has suddenly become a 4-month plan. I must decide what to do with my life and where I want it to go. I can't continue living in my parents house. I need to live on my own and be independent! That is one of the things I still have, but there's not much left.

Spring into change!

Diversity

I firmly believe that travel provides so much for human nature. It gives you the opportunity to experience new and challenging things, become diversified and cultured. There are so many different lifestyles in the world that being able to witness those things would give you a broader range on who you yourself are. I think being more cultured makes you a more humble person; a better person. And one of the biggest parts of my life is being more open-minded and being able to see people (and the world) for who they are, rather than judging them.

Overall, I think America is a very closed-minded, stubborn country. Sure, we are the most diverse country in the world, but we are set in our ways. My religion is a perfect example of that. Actually, all religion is a perfect example of that. Martin Luther King, Jr. said it best, "An individual has not started living until he has risen above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." That quote describes my every reason to vote for President Obama. Maybe Obama doesn't stand for everything that I personally believe in, but he stands for everything that I want for my country as a whole.

I look at my family and realize how different I am. I have different views and opinions on almost every subject. Yes, I believe 100% in my religion, but I don't think that should be displayed in my political views. Politics are meant to benefit a group of people, not one single individual.

Here's how I see it: I personally am pro-life. However, there are many women out there who think they should have rights for their body and those rights should allow for them to have an abortion. This is where I vote pro-choice, otherwise, this goes against The Constitution and our overall human rights.

Basically, what I am getting at, is I think that everyone should have the opportunity to travel and witness the beauty of the world and of all the amazing different cultures that God has provided us. I rarely get out of Utah, and we all know how red this state is. One of my goals in life is to travel the world. Traveling changes you. It makes you a better person. I don't want to be so selfish and closed-minded as I appear to be. I want to make a difference and help those in need. I want to go to Africa and help build a school for the children who don't have as many opprotunities as I do.

I am infatuated with the Travel Channel. I love No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain. He travels to the most exotic places, and the most amazing part of his show is that he doesn't do the touristy things. He has a tour guide from the country who takes him to all the places that all the locals love. That's what kind of travel I want to do. I want to be apart of the local culture. Isn't that what travel is all about?