The long and short of it

Everyone has that one haircut they look back on and regret. Maybe you rocked a mullet too far into the Nineties or maybe you went for the side-swept, overly straightened layers in the mid-00s. No judgement here if either of those is the case. I have an embarrassing hair story as well.

No trims for a year and this is the result...this, and an embarrassing amount
of split ends. I'm reluctant to snip yet because I've missed my long hair!

I've had super long hair for most of my life. My dad always preferred it, so that is how I wore it until the end of last summer. But last summer was a trying time for my family. In July my mom was suddenly and quite unexpectedly diagnosed with a type of colon cancer and underwent an emergency surgery to remove part of her large intestine and spleen. She spent the next three weeks in the hospital recovering.

We were told she would nave to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments for good measure. Hair loss was a possibility.

I'd had my hair long for years and I was bored. It was a hot summer in NorCal, and I was about to head back to school in an even hotter Phoenix. And the guy I was seeing at the time had been urging me to try a pixie cut (partly because he liked pixie cuts, and partly because he couldn't stand my hair touching him). So when the doctors said it might be a good idea to look into wigs for my other, that was it. I chopped. I donated a ponytail of snipped hair to my mother's hairdresser—who just so happened to specialize in treating cancer patients and had a thriving wig business!

Thankfully, my mother didn't lose her hair. The heartbreaker is that I got rid of this:

Sure, it had split ends a foot deep,
but was the chop really necessary?

Now my hair finally hits a good six inches below my collar bone. And now that it's safely back into the "long" range, I think I've learned my lesson. It's still kind of annoying when my hair catches on earrings or sunglasses or my boyfriend's stubble, but it's worth it to finally feel like I look like myself again.

Which do you prefer, long or short? Have you ever regretted a haircut? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Outfit of the Day - July 31

Day two on the job! New York & Company has a dress code of black and/or white. As you may know — and as you'll soon figure out — my closet already consists mainly of blacks, grays, whites, tans, creams and navies (neutrals go with everything, including each other!), so in theory, dressing for work shouldn't be a problem for me. I have my entire closet to choose from.

But some rules are easier to follow when you don't know they exist. I had the hardest time choosing my outfit today because I really really really wanted to pair a yellow blouse with a red skirt, and I couldn't. 

In NY&Co's defense, the main thing stopping me was the lack of a yellow blouse.

Sweater: New York & Company. Jeans: American Eagle (via Goodwill).

Gold chain necklace: Charming Charlie. Gemstone bead necklace: unknown.
Brown basket-weave flats: Target. Leather and bronze-studded watch: Charming Charlie.

Outfit of the Day - July 30

I suppose now is as good a time as any to announce that I have a new job! Starting today, I am a sales associate at New York & Company. My mother has shopped there for years, and I started shopping there a couple years ago when I moved to Phoenix and realized I needed some professional clothing for reporting and internships and such.

A note to fellow retail newbies: Never wear heels on your first day working retail. These shoes are usually super comfortable, but after a day of climbing ladders and carrying armloads of clothing, it may be a week or so before I can stand to wear these shoes again. 

Also note that mid-afternoon in late July in Phoenix is the wrong time to take off your heels and walk home barefoot.

Black t-shirt: Tilly's. Khaki pencil skirt: Target.

Gold chain necklace: Charming Charlie. Black patent pumps: Payless Shoe Source.
Watch: Charming Charlie. Large CZ stud earrings: Gift. Small CZ studs: HTC Piercing.

Outfit of the Day - July 26

My internship doesn't usually require me to go into the office on Fridays, but today I had to go in for a few hours to finish up work on a story. I'm already not a morning person, but add the fact that it was a weekend and a day that I'm not used to going into the office, and I didn't want to put on clothes at all this morning.

Enter the jersey knit dress. It's soft and comfortable, like my pajamas, but can be dressed up so that no one will ever know I chose it only because I wished I were still in bed ... and because it's only one piece to pick out and put on. (Take that, Friday!) 

Jersey knit t-shirt dress: Target. 

Bronze multi-strand chain necklace: Charming Charlie.
Leather and bronze-studded watch: Charming Charlie. Brown basket-weave flats: Target.

Outfit of the Day - July 25

Is anyone else bothered by how cold offices become during the summer? Phoenix summers can be unspeakably hot, but extreme temperatures outside shouldn't call for the opposite extreme inside. My desk sits right under the ceiling vent, so I am always on the chilly side at my internship. Add the dampness from this morning's rain, and I was downright cold all day. 

Luckily for me, a cold office means I get to continue to wear my favorite boots and scarves all summer. I knew today would involve running all over the place for interviews, and these boots — fondly known as my "get things done" boots — let me move about quickly. 

Jeans: BBB Fashion. T-Shirt: unknown. Infinity scarf: Target.
Belt: Target. Boots: JC Penney. 

Watch: Charming Charlie. "Faith" bracelet: Charming Charlie. Painted bracelet: gift.