Turtle is to Turkey as Traffic is to Holiday Shopper.

I hope your Thanksgiving was stuffed with turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and laughter!

Mine was. I learned that turtles enjoy turkey carcasses (gross!). Since Thanksgiving is a happy holiday, I did make an effort to wear some color instead of looking like I was going to a funeral, as per usual. Speaking of which...

Black Friday was yesterday, but since it's almost 2013, I bet most Black Friday-ers went shopping online. Why not? No traffic, no crowds, no long lines, AND most of the same sales you see in the store can be found online. Many stores even offer free shipping.

Here's why I love online shopping: my current favorite hair product, called Weather Girl Climate Neutralizing Complex with Pure Protein Blend, created by Blow, The New York Blow Dry Bar, is usually $22 for a 2oz. bottle, but it's on Amazon.com right now for $11.35. Check out the link over here!  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Where do YOU go for great holiday shopping finds?

If Not For Not-So-Honest Abe Lincoln...

It has been a long time since a movie has made me teary-eyed.

Lincoln made it perfectly clear that Abe wasn't as honest as we were all led to believe in our junior high American History classes. Without ruining the movie for you, all I will say is that he made some moral compromises, obviously trusting that the end would indeed justify the means.

As I sat in that theatre, thinking about each of the men who voted to pass the 13th Amendment and the personal struggles they overcame, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. If that bill hadn't passed, our country wouldn't be the same. I would never have met some of my closest childhood friends because we wouldn't have had the opportunity to go to school together. 

I thought about the obstacles that equality has yet to conquer in the present-day, mainly the issue of gay marriage. Friends have confided in me about how difficult it was to muster up the courage to come out to their loved ones. Some of them have since been accepted fully for who they are; others have been excommunicated from their families and churches. 

Regardless of the "Nature vs. Nurture" argument and its statistics, they are NOT numbers. They're REAL men and women who have the same needs and wants that I have - to be loved and accepted freely. 

Doesn't an adult who is in a loving, committed relationship with another adult have the same rights as I do? If they go to work, pay their taxes, vote, etc., why should the fact that their marriage is to an individual of the same-sex even matter?

I'd LOVE to hear YOUR thoughts, so share them in the comment box below. :) 

Paint It Black.

My hair color is BLACK now!  

As one of my besties reminded me this week, the second your hair color changes, so does your wardrobe. While I am used to wearing black from head to toe, I have come to realize that it's time to put some COLOR into my life. Otherwise, I am going to look like a black crayon. #NOTcool 

I always thought that black was the one hair color I would never be willing to try. I thought I couldn't pull it off... 

I think I was scared.

Which is part of why I did it.

Life is FULL of so many incredible opportunities, amazing people, and breathtaking adventures. Although my loved ones tell me that I have accomplished a lot in such a short amount of time, there are still SO many things I want to do with this ONE life I've been given! 

So, I don't have time to be afraid of things. I only have time to be bold, to be brave.

What about you?

What is it that's preventing you from fulfilling your dreams? What are you afraid of?

Whatever IT is, paint it black. And ROCK it. I triple-dog-dare you. ;)