Paige's BIG haircut... Donating to Locks of Love

Paige has been asking to cut her hair for a while now.

I agreed to cut it, if we could cut off enough to donate it to Locks of Love.

As you can see, she had plenty of length.

Her hair is just so long that I worry that she will not grow it this length again.

She has begged to the point that she tries to pull me into random hair salons.

Well... Today, I finally caved in.

Gotta love any 'before' shots, right?

Off to the shampoo area she went. Poor thing, needed a booster and TWO pillows to get her high enough.

That's my FAV stylist... Shelda (Transfiguration in Davie)

Locks of Love requires donated hair to be 10 inches and clean.

So, She was all bubbly for a bit....

And my little princess was enjoying the head-rub.... Best part of getting your haircut, right?

Washed and measured!

The OMG moment... Caught on tape.

I was still in shock... But it was looking good, don't ya think?

Making it straight.

It's 4 year old hair... Purity.

She was SO good... Probably too afraid to move. Lol

Blowing it out

Saying good-bye... Must be a freeing moment.

Final product...

Personally, I love it.

I just think this kid is the cutest.... I know, I'm biased.

When we actually send off the pony-tail, I'll update.

Hope everyone is great!!

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There's a BIG raccoon out there.

So, yesterday... I'm alone inside the house because Bryan and the kids were busy getting a fire going out front.

And out of the corner of my eye is see something small and furry walk into the dining room... Through the open patio doors.

At first I thought is was our neighbor's cat... A tabby that roams our streets.

This isn't Max... But this is what his coloring looks like.

Then, I realized it wasn't orange I saw.... It was gray!

It took me a second to remember that Meredith had complained that she chased a raccoon out of the house the night before.

While I believed she saw one.... NEVER would I think one would walk INTO a house... OUR house no less.

But... There he was... Under my dining room table.

I seem to remember he looked like this....

But my memory is all a blur.... Lol

Anyway... I screamed... Chased it out.

Then, I kept screaming!! (I was wigging out)

Bryan comes rushing inside... All protective.

And started doing a NYPD-Blue-type search of the patio... With a broom!

Turns out that raccoon has been bravely approaching a few houses on our street.

Calls to wildlife control were useless... $230 trap it ($70 to haul it away)

One of Bryan's friends has a trap.. We borrowed it.

We set the bait... Tuna fish.

And caught this guy is 30 minutes...

Bryan and our neighbor, Richard, took it out West.

It was safely released.. Into a park.

Trap is set again... I'm sure there are more.

(So... I guess I owe my husband $300?)

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New year.... New plans... New England?

Yesterday, I spent some time putting together a post 'outing' ourselves for considering a POSSIBLE move to New England.

But I deleted it... Because once I re-read the post, I thought it sounded as if our decision was a done-deal.

Which it is not...

It's just talk, but the next few months will be interesting to say the least.

So... You may ask... WHY would anyone choose to move TO the colder weather?

Why not just vacation?

Because... My friends, a family of 6 is VERY expensive to get out of Florida.

Thousands of dollars to get on an airplane... To anywhere.

Our last Orlando trip... Cost is $778 just to get into Universal studios!

Crazy.

(this is a $1,000 photo? wow)

Anyone that knows us shouldn't be surprised that we think about leaving.

We've been THINKING about it for years.

Our friends, Roger and Lara moved up there 5 years ago....

Here they are with Wade a few years back.

The Berkshire Mountains, in western MA, is an easy area to fall in love with...

it has backyards with brooks running through them...

I'd like to get up there while my children still want to explore a nature trail.

Lenox, MA - has a library that looks like this.... Beautiful, isn't it?

And the entire county looks like a postcard....

A Saturday afternoon adventure is the local Shaker Community

(which the Davis/Brown families tackled in 2009)

Think about it.... Boston is a 2 hour drive away.

New York City is a 2 hour train ride away... Nice.

I like the idea that the kids will see these colors (for free) in autumn

Is it so wrong to dream that they can do this... Often?

I really love the bubble that my kids live in now... but it's becoming harder to protect them EVERYWHERE.

If I have to move to Mayberry to keep their 'protective bubble'.... so be it.

in a back yard that looks like this.... (while they are young enough to enjoy it)

I'd be doing the one thing I promised I'd never do... Leave family.

Bryan's family

And mine...

But... I have faith that, in time, everyone will visit -- extended stays.

Truth is... Bryan and I are born here - vacations have been our only out.

I married a guy who LOVES to ski; his mouth salivates at the thought that the northern 1/3 of this country has seasonal passes because it's 'the thing to do' up there.

He's put in 22+ years of police work.... He's EARNED the change.

We could be LIVING the vacation.

Yes... I'll be looking for employment in an area that hospitals are 40 miles from each other... YIKES!

Which translates into I better LOVE my job because it's the only one around.

Yes.... Bryan would be giving up $$$ by not completing his full DROP

(if you don't know what the DROP is... Just know it's a chunk of change)

But I like the idea of having kids that go to THIS high school... Gorgeous.

And I'd want Olivia to START high school there... Not transfer during a school year.

Bryan and I have some decisions to make... To discuss over these next few months.

Would such a drastic move put the kids in therapy?

Would it put ME in therapy? (maybe)

I'm hoping that by posting our thoughts here, our friends and family will have some insight as to why we leave (this summer)

Or

Why we choose to STAY.

Nothing wrong with talking out loud, right?

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