Locks of Love

Happy Sunday!

Today's post is a recap of my day yesterday. What did I do other than watch 3 movies and drink some wine? I got my haircut! For anyone that knows me, this is a very rare occasion. The last time I had my hair actually cut [not just trimmed] was when I was a sophomore in college! Y'all...that was over 5 YEARS AGO! I guess I've just always thought of myself as a long-haired kinda girl.

To be honest, I have been thinking about doing this for a while. My hair has gotten so long and is already pretty thick/not naturally pretty in any way. I get tired of fixing it and then I get hot once its done that really, there's just no point. So when I woke up, I told myself- "I'll call the salon. If there is an open appointment, it's a sign that I should just take the plunge." Welp, I seemed to find myself at the salon at 130pm, ready to do it!

I ended up with over 12 inches of hair, ready to mail to Locks of Love! This wasn't the first time I have done this, it's actually the third time. The first time, I was in the 6th grade, and my best friend Julie and I both donated. The second time was when I was in college as I mentioned. 

Overall, I am completely, 100% satisfied! It's a bit shorter than I originally pictured in my head but overall, it's the exact length/cut/style I wanted. So crazy to think how much a haircut can change how you fell about yourself!

Hope you all have an enjoyable rest of your weekend and great start to your week!

2015 Trips [so far]

At first glance, 2015 was looking to be quite a boring year. With Dustin deployed/on TDY for 8 months out of the year, I didn't think I would get much traveling in other than the occasional day trips to the beach and IKEA. Luckily, along with the help of family and friends, it looks like I will still be able to do a bunch of fun vacations! Here's what I've got lined up [so far]...

J U L Y

About 6 years ago, the Thompson side of my family had our first of what would be many family reunions. Okay, maybe not first, but definitely the first in at least 10+ years. This July will be our THIRD gathering since! I am beyond excited to see everyone and spend time with the family that I love and miss being around. One of my absolute favorite parts are our matching shirts. My dad is 1 of 7 siblings so once all aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, grand babies and spouses are gathered, we total upwards of 30 people (and it keeps growing)! Having the shirts made is a really neat way to group each family in each picture. I'll be traveling to Chicago & Wisconsin for about 11 days towards the end of the month.

S E P T E M B E R / O C T O B E R

Towards the end of September and carrying over into October, my dad, best friend, and her parents will be flying to Europe to do some visiting and traveling! We have been working on nailing down their final itineraries and flight schedules but we are just about done. While here, they will be seeing Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Sacile/Aviano (where I live and where the USAF base is located), Milan, Athens, Munich and Paris! It is going to be crazy fun and I am absolutely ecstatic to show them the town we have come to love and some of our favorite places in Europe, not to mention go to Oktoberfest!

N O V E M B E R

November Dustin comes home! We haven't made any concrete travel plans for after he arrives since we don't have a set return date. But we are really considering going on a 5-day trip to London! We have heard NOTHING but good things from our friends and hey, there is nothing wrong with wanting to travel to a city that speaks the same language as you! If we do go, we plan on seeing Big Ben, the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the Warner Bros Studio tot our some wicked Harry Potter sites, and plenty more. Fingers crossed that we get a return date and flights booked soon!

D E C E M B E R

Winter is one of my favorite times of the year. Between decorating, spending time with family, and eating amazing foods, there really isn't much more you could ask for. Being overseas has TONS of opportunities for us to see and do things we never could have imagined but, it does cut back on time spent with family. Luckily, my mom and step-dad will be joining us for Christmas! They will arrive on the 22nd, spend time in the local area, and then all four of us will travel to Rome for 4 days. Dustin and I have been aching to go to Rome but never really found the best time to go. Plus, we always knew we would end up going when family/friends were in town so it wasn't necessarily at the top of our list. After Rome, they will head back to the States but Dustin and I will continue on to Berlin, Germany to celebrate the New Year! 

After all, 2015 is turning out to be an adventure-packed year. I would never take living in Europe for granted and am looking forward to all the fun, beautiful places we will get to experience.