LIKE it for TIME- Letter

Below click on the LINK to go straight to the page to PRINT off the pre-written letter to mail into TIME magazine nominating Military Families as the next TIME person of the year. It has been made SO EASY!! Just print off the pre-written letter , sign, & mail. It only cost you a Stamp. I think we can all agree EVERY Military family is worth the time & cost of a stamp. Thanks for taking the time to help in anyway you can.


The letter to TIME Magazine is below. Revise at will and then copy, paste, print, sign, and put in the mail on Friday, March 4th.

• If you think you'll forget to mail the letter on Friday and you'd rather mail it today because this is when you'll remember, mail away.
• If you want your letter to the editor to be considered for publication in TIME Magazine, be sure to include your full name, address, and phone number in the letter.
• OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A KINDLE: Share the letter - with enthusiasm! - on your blog or facebook page and encourage people to mail it in, and you'll be entered to win the latest model Kindle. (One winner.) Used just once, it's as close to brand-new as it can be without being in the original, unopened package, and it even comes with a leather case. TO BE ENTERED TO WIN: Email likeitfortime@gmail.com with the link to the blog or facebook page where you encourage others to send their letter to TIME. Write "letter share" in the subject line. The winner will be announced on March 4th on Enlisted Spouse Radio.
• MAIL YOUR LETTER TO: TIME Magazine Letters / Time & Life Building / Rockefeller Center / New York, NY 10020
• THANK YOU. Your participation is both necessary and greatly appreciated. Have fun, and good luck to all of us!

LIFT- Like it For TIME

Sparkly toes,sparkly Vampires, Wolves ,& Laughter

It's been a few days since my last post but I honestly didn't have anything to fun & entertaining to write about until Saturday. When I woke up yesterday I sat up stretched & a HUGE smile spread across my face. I had been waiting for this day for about 3 weeks. Why you may ask? It was finally here ~Girls Day Out~

A couple of good friends & I had marked on our calenders at the beginning of the month for Saturday to be a day of all things Girls. Their husbands had field time & parental things going on which freed them up for a day of fun! I was happy to be asked to join as they knew Paul had been traveling a lot & I hadn't had much free time. These two ladies where my "deployment wives" while our husbands where away last year. We spent more time together last year then I sometimes do with Paul even when he is home. We where all super excited to play catch up on eachother's lives & laugh a lot. Laughter heals the soul when it is done with good friends who with a look can make you bust out a deep down belly laugh because you know exactly what they are thinking with out words being said. That is how it is with these two ladies.

By 11:00AM I was at Starbucks treating myself to a delicious coffee then on the road to post where we would meet at one of the girls home. We then picked up one of the girls daughter's from selling Girl Scout cookies & all five of us headed to get pedicures/manicures. A real treat for two of us moms who haven't done this in months & our toes/hands proved it! We had made appointments so we got right in which was great as the place was packed!

                           Waiting to get nails polished

After our pampering  we where starving!! I mean sitting there for a couple hours in the massage chairs will do that to a girl. We headed to The Ram for some yummy lunch & more laughter. Our waitress was a little strange so that brought on some fun conversation through out our meal. Let's just say the poor girl didn't get much of a tip from two of the girls & you know who you are-lol. After that we had to go drop off one of the little girls back to sell more Girl Scout cookies & we headed to the home of one of the ladies. Where we poured some good wine & set about turning on New Moon to watch. I am not sure we paid any attention at all to the movie as we pulled out planners & marked dates on our calenders. We have to plan ahead to work in this much needed time together these days. We laughed until tears formed & caught up on all our lives.It was something so easy & natural even though we hadn't seen eachother in a few weeks. It is always so easy to just pick up right where we left off as if no time has ever passed. As the beginning of Eclipse was started one of the husbands was on his way home from the field & picking up the littlest girl from the PX Girl Scout cookie sell. We started wrapping up our chatter & making promises to do it again soon. These two lovely ladies will be moving at the end of summer & I tear up every time I think about the upcoming deployment. Knowing they won't be here when I have my nervous breakdowns. Thank goodness for Skype & cell phones. I am sure we will use them all the time to stay in touch. These are the friends you make that last a life time & I am so lucky to have found them.It was an amazing day as usual & now this momma is relaxed,recharged ready to face the new week ahead.

Cupcakes & Movie Days

We woke up this President's Day not really sure what we where going to do with our day off from school & work? The older boys had spent the night with friends which left our house pretty quiet with only two boys at home. I started with my usual cup of coffee & BLOG reading while the house remained asleep. When playing catch up on a friends CaringBridge page I realized we had reason to Celebrate! Two of her boys had earned some pretty amazing achievements & we haven't been able visit in awhile. As  I thought about this & left a message on her page Jacob my youngest finally woke up. I was explaining to him what I had read & he said " Mom I think we need to bake chocolate cupcakes & take them over to celebrate!". I love the way he came up with the idea all on his own. I secretly think he knew if I agreed he had a ticket out of the house for the day & hopes that our friends would let all the boys play.I soon checked the pantry then agreed to the surprise cupcakes & visit. So at 8:00AM Jacob & I sat out to make some cupcakes!

I enjoyed helping him mix them ,pour them, & pop them in the oven. We then tried to wake up Jeremy to tell him of our secret plans. As soon as he heard what we where up to he was awake eating & ready to go! We got the cupcakes baked, cooled & decorated all in about an hour-record time. Then we all got dressed, fed my husband & three of us headed out the door to Lacey where our friends live. I had sent an email letting them know we where doing some errands then dropping something off for them.  That we would leave it on the porch if they weren't home, no worries I doubted anyone would run off with the surprise. Our errand was grabbing some bread at the outlet store so I didn't lie! I didn't call because as Jacob said it had to be a surprise! We where excited to find everyone at home & relaxing on this Monday. 

The boys headed off with their friends to chop some wood & play Monopoly.My friend & I headed out for a bliss free hour of much needed "girl time". When we returned I gathered my two boys up much to their dismay & we headed back to Yelm. They where super excited their surprise delivery went so well & they got to see their friends. I decided to treat them to a movie that they had been asking to see since their brothers where still not home. We bought some popcorn, cokes, & settled in for a cartoon movie about Gnomes.

That's right folks a movie based on Romeo & Juliet using ceramic Garden Gnomes. I thought it was funny, but not that great. The boys however where mesmerized!I just sat back laughed in a few spots & enjoyed my popcorn with the company of two wonderful little boys. I don't always get as much alone time with my younger boys as I did with the older two so today was a nice relaxing way to spend our Holiday. Daddy was super happy to enjoy the very peaceful house with the dogs all afternoon. We all arrived home around the same time & the noise level rose back to normal & I wouldn't have it any other way!

An Extremely Funny Read

If you haven't figured it out yet I just LOVE to read almost anything I can get my hands around! I just finished another new book that was recommended called Confessions of a Military Wife by Mollie Gross. It is based on her point of view during her years as a Marine wife.I had to ask a few questions from friends who are Marine to understand a couple things she was talking about in her book. But over all it was hysterical !! There are a few moments that if you've gone through a deployment you get a little teary, but she really tried to keep it fun & light hearted.
Her sense of humor just cracked me up through out the entire book. She goes on about the bonds formed with your husband during deployment times as well as your new "wife" you a acquire & no she is not talking about a same sex marriage. Everyone usually finds at least one Battle Buddy who ends up knowing more about you then your husband for a year. She makes you realize you are perfectly normal to have all those feelings of Grief when they first deploy & anxious moments upon their arrival home. I would recommend it to any Military spouse to read for a good laugh. Who doesn't need a pick me up every  now & then with all these multiple deployments.
I finished it in one day! Her husband is now out of the Marines & she does stand up comedy on military bases around the globe. I watched a few Youtube clips & she really is a HOOT!! I think I'll recommend her to our Senior Advisor while the guys are gone. They always try to put on a halfway party to lift our spirits- guess what she talks about that too!!! Go pick up her book & read it today then pass it around you'll LOVE IT!!

 

 Here is a short YouTube of Mollie's Standup routine- so funny!!

Fort Polk Survival 101

As most of you military spouses know friends coming & going is a regular part of your military life. I have a good friend & battle buddy who is PCSing with her soldier very soon to Fort Polk. I know I just heard a bunch of groaning from all you Army wives-LOL I don't know many who are jumping up & down excited about going to Polk. I can thankfully say that is one place we have never gotten orders for & I hope we never do!

Anyway as  my friend gets ready to leave another friend has put together a dinner for her to say goodbye. It looks to be most of us wives who she ran around with during the last deployment. We where asked to bring a GAG gift for her that would make her laugh about her unfortunate lot in life to move to POLK. 

I am sure that some are going to bring the usual Mardi Gras stuff of beads & masks.

I personally would be making a batch of Hurricanes to take but I know myself & would drink the yummy concoction therefore giving her an empty pitcher!

Now that wouldn't be to much fun for her but I bet I would be the life of the Party!!

I also know some will say the bugs are awful in Louisanna so bug be gone spray would be funny!

       I agree the bugs in the south are awful in the summer!

I am in hopes that even though I only have a few who follow my BLOG that you can come up with something else a lot more funny! I am at a lose for what to purchase or put together for Louisanna survival 101?? I am not sure if it is because I have been awake tossing since 4:30AM or if it is because I am stressed over paying a huge Orthodontist bill for my older son (that is a whole different BLOG).
Anyway if you have ever been to Polk or have any AWESOME suggestions just randomly pop into your lovely minds, PLEASE- PLEASE post them here for me. I would greatly appreciate it & will take pictures of the evening to let you know what all she receives. I am excited for the night as I love Theme Dinner parties! We will surely miss our lovely friend, but what FUN we will have sending her off!

A good Article to read

This morning was NOT my finest moment to put it mildly.I felt exhausted even after I got six hours of uninterrupted sleep.I think my body is so use to living off of four or five it felt sluggish from the extra sleep. I smashed my finger in the sliding door about 5:45AM which made me almost throw up. I burnt my palm on bacon grease around 7:00AM, I should have just called it a day at that point. But nope I got all the kids but Jeremy out the door & settled in with one more glass of coffee when the phone rang. It was my mom so I thought we could chat about the summer plans we needed to get firmed up for the kid's visit to TN as well as mine.
Somewhere along the way we got sidetracked into talking about the boys & how they are affected by my husbands deployments. I should have just changed the subject & moved on, but I didn't.Instead my well intentioned mother started in on me about how she felt the boys needed to see my husband everyday on SYKPE so their behavior/attitudes would be better while he is deployed. At first I was calm & tried to explain that for my youngest seeing his dad everyday isn't the best thing. He sometimes goes off to school & has a really bad day. Instead of listening to my words & saying something like " I can see where that might be hard, you know your child best. So I am sure you can help him through another year w/out his dad.". I heard " Amanda you know that can't be true!! He needs to hear from his dad & what his dad expects from him while he is away, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH". I immediately went into defense mode, my voice became rather squeaky, & tears started. I told her she had NO IDEA what my kids & I are going through with all these deployments . How dare she try to tell me what my children need when she isn't here living in this house.I told her I was going to hang up before I said anything else that might hurt her feelings, but I was pretty sure I already had.I love my parents they are my biggest supporters during all these deployments, but today was apparently not the day to tell me how to raise my boys no matter how well intentioned .
 Now not only am I still crying at a drop of the hat , I feel like I should call and apologize but I can't bring myself to pick up the phone.I am going to chalk it up to a sort of icky day gone really bad & possibly PMS-LOL. 
Anyway this link is to an article a friend posted on Facebook I found rather helpful & oh so TRUE!! If you have been through a deployment, are going through a deployment or just know of someone who is in the military it is a good read. It might help your feelings get validated that your not a crazy insane military spouse- there are others out there feeling the same as you. It may also help you civilians understand what we can be feeling at any given moment. Her Voice, Her War  the jest of her article is : What I knew about Deployments and Military Life . Go give it a read & hopefully it helps you out in some way, it sure helped me out today.

 

After multiple deployments, even the strongest wives -- the ones most likely to volunteer -- are at the end of their ropes.

Ideas for Care Packages

With Paul's upcoming deployment I was actually getting worried that I had run out of original & fun ideas for future Care Packages. I mean we are going on Deployment #4 with several fun Care Packages having already been sent. The boys have always loved to decorate the outside & place fun items for holidays,birthdays, anniversaries etc on the inside.But it never ocurred to me to use my scrapbook items to full on decorate the inside of Paul's boxes before. Until I saw this amazing Facebook page full of beautiful Care Packages.

I ran across a great Facebook page called Miss Your Voice they make amazing Care Packages for all our Military men & women around the world. They don't make a lot of money at all as all their profits go back into buying the supplies for their amazing boxes. Each box is unique & hand decorated with LOVE. You can ask for very specific items for your boxes or they have some pre-made ideas if you are fresh out as I was afraid I was going to be soon.I think they are a GREAT option for any one who wants to mail items to a soldier but perhaps doesn't have the time to do all the leg work. Trust me, sometimes getting exactly what you want in a box can mean several trips to several different stores. They use the Flat Rate boxes so you know the shipping as soon as you place your order & they stuff them full! 

I encourage everyone to go take a look around their web site to see what they offer & share them -  Miss your Voice Website. I now have some wonderful ideas to help me make it through the next deployment so my husband's mail is something he can still look forward to receiving. I also shared their site with some family members who always ask to send Paul mail & what can we send?? They can simply order from Miss your Voice & send him a wonderfully custom box that he will love!! It is also a great option for those of you who like to do the Adopt a Soldier programs.

 Go take a look & leave them some love they are doing a wonderful thing for our Military & their families.

Happy LOVE Day.....everyday

Paul & I have never really celebrated Valentines Day. We always try & tell eachother everyday whatever we are feeling. I mean some days it is all I love you, your beautiful, sexy,sweet, or even mean -lol - you get the point. I am not sure if this comes with the fact that our own relationship started long distance from Alaska to Nashville, TN?? What I do know is we have never felt the need to use only one day a year to say how much the other means to us & I love this about our relationship. 
 Does it mean I totally skip out on getting him a fun, romantic, sexy, or flirty card- Nope not a chance!! It is the one time of year you can find some great cards & I often buy two or three that are fun to give him through out the year. Especially if he is deployed. They don't all say Happy Valentines so they can be used whenever I want to tell him I love him. I feel most military couples are just so thankful that their spouse or significant other is safe that they have no problem expressing their love year round. I think this is a lesson all America & the world for that matter can learn. It shouldn't take one day a year set aside by the greeting card & chocolate companies to express how you feel. Know one is ever guaranteed another day with their loved one so NEVER take it for-granted I know I don't!!
I remember this time last year Paul was in Iraq & I was anxiously waiting to see if I would hear from him ?? Did he get that extra special box I mailed weeks before?? I am so blessed that he is home for the moment & we are celebrating every single day as a couple & family. I hope you all will celebrate everyday as well.
It doesn't mean I won't be super excited if he stops to grab a bunch of flowers or chocolates along the way today to give to me as well- I mean who doesn't like chocolate????

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Well my birthday fell this past Tuesday on the 8th . Since it was during the week plus I was so sick my husband & best friend Sam made plans to celebrate on Saturday evening. I had already had an early celebration on Sunday the 6th with my other two great friends so I was getting all the mileage I could from my birthday !~! I mean it only comes once a year & I wouldn't be in all these people's life if I hadn't been born, so we should CELEBRATE  A LOT!!
Sam came in with a funny talking card with two little old ladies on front & a new bottle of Cranberry Wine. They both made me happy! Then we grabbed our guys & headed into town to eat some Mexican food. I had the most amazing drink called a Mango Sunrise ( since Bekah who is allergic to Mango wasn't there) I figured why not? It was delicious & I will be having it again I am sure.After some great food & lively conversation which is the norm for this group we headed off to see the new Adam Sandler / Jennifer Aniston movie "Just go with it.".
I laughed from the opening to the end! I have not sat through a movie that I loved that much in years!! I can't wait to buy it when it comes out on DVD. I would even sit through it again with anyone else who wanted to go watch the movie. The teaming up of Adam Sandler's character with Jennifer Aniston then throw in a surprise appearance by Nicole Kidman was Hysterical!! Of course both the guys where loving the pretty girls running around all over the big screen, just made me realize I will never look like that in a bikni again & I am OK with that.
We then headed to Dairy Queen to grab some Dilly Bars for Sam's mom & I found out they now come in Butterscotch flavor?? Who Knew?? Not me! I just assumed it was the same old chocolate/vanilla combo - but no they have changed it up on me. Maybe that does show my age a bit, but I had no idea as I don't frequent DQ much anymore.
As we finally made our way home we enjoyed more fun conversation on the car ride home. I really had a nice relaxing evening after a week of feeling so Blah from sickness. It was nice to get out with good friends , relax, & laugh a lot!! It was just what the Doctor ordered & I can't wait to do it again soon!

                            My love & me at dinner

 The AMAZING birthday cupcakes I had on Sunday the 6th at my first celebration.

New Blog Design

Thanks to the lovely Dani at Camolove.com my blog got a great new look! I gave her free reign with just a couple of suggestions on colors & she did a great job! They are very reasonably priced & love supporting all our branches of the Military. She even made up a design for me so that I can use my LOGO on shirts, mugs,etc (Zazzle .com). Thank you so much Dani- I love my new look!!!! I can't wait for everyone to see your hard work.

The Crud

For the past four to five days I have been fighting off this yucky achy crud! My head never stops hurting even with drugs.I spent my birthday in sweats & downing cold medication. This has been the third birthday in a row that I was sick. No FUN!! Today started off a little better but as soon as the medication wears off my head pounds again. I just hope it clears up by Saturday. The husband & I are suppose to go to dinner & a movie with friends since I was to sick yesterday to do anything on my actual birthday.
So keep your fingers crossed & prayers coming that it goes away as fast as I got it from the boys. Did I forget to mention they have had it for about a week now, ugggg I just HATE feeling so bad & I want to get better SOON!!

Dr Jekyll or Mr. Hyde.....some days are just better then others

Today started off with my head pounding & nose running super tired ,out of coffee creamer kind of Monday. Yeah- not so great.I managed to get three out of the four boys off to school only to find out Jeremy was feeling as yucky as me. He slept in until 10ish when I made him get up, take some medicine, & eat a little something. After which I parked him with his favorite blanket, stuffed elephant & pillow in front of his favorite cartoon shows.I loaded & folded some laundry then I decided forget it I feel awful I am going to read my new book that arrived on Friday .I haven't even glanced inside yet. This in itself is very unusual for me as I love to read & rarely wait to start a new book. But we where just busy this weekend & it got pushed aside.

So I grab my vitamin water my slippers & park it in my chair ready to read the latest recommended reading for us Military Spouses:Behind the Blue-Star Banner by:Michelle Cuthrell  I really should have done my research like I normally do, it isn't about the meaning of The Blue-Star banner we so proudly display for our soldier's when they are deployed- nope not at all.It is one Army wives account of her journey through her first deployment & how she survived. I barely made it through the introduction with out the tears rolling down my cheeks.There should have been a disclaimer on the Facebook post that recommended this book- it is very well written don't get me wrong. But for someone who has done multiple deployments & is heading into another it is a hard read.

I loved how she made me realize I am not an insane , split personality crazy Army wife! That most days leading up to a deployment & during the deployment you are trying to be "normal" have your Mr. Hyde personality on even when Dr. Jekyll is lurking around waiting to emerge.It also made me realize that with all my "battle buddies" leaving at the end of the summer this deployment was going to be one of the longest & loneliest since  we did our very first after we where married. 

I know all my friends want me to step back & take a break from all the FRG volunteer activities of my past. But as I read I realized I AM that wife that loves to give back during the deployments. It helps me stay connected to others who are going through the same emotions as me. Who won't judge me when I loose it at some point. It really isn't taking a "break" for me , it is making me go a little nuts inside with the idea of still not knowing any spouses but one.  Saying "No" to going to the first Steering meeting I got invited to tomorrow. I said no because it's the first birthday in years that Paul will be home for & I was being a little selfish. When I know in all reality we won't do a lot it's a school night. I'll pick a favorite meal or we will go out to eat as a family. But in the back of my head Dr. Jekell is SCREAMING you are missing the chance to meet other spouses what have you done!!

This is a good read but a hard book to get through. I am feeling the throws of being down to four short months until he leaves. Down to starting to make lists of what needs to get done in that time & fit in a vacation.Yes I am seeing the split personality emerge that will eventually overtake this Army wife when I say goodbye again to my best friend. The only saving grace at this point is my Type A personality has most of my summer months planned with the kids & friends to make those first few weeks go by a little faster. I must say living in Deployment mode STINKS!!! Today is a a good example of how we get reminded of what is coming again & how we wish we could change the outcome. I am going to go & finish the book that I can't seem to put down, grab a box of tissues as well. I am at the part where she is having the baby- did I forget to mention the poor wife was pregnant during her first deployment!!!! YIKES- don't say I didn't warn you if you choose to read- it's good but heart wrenching.

Favorite passage so far from the book (there are many) is the following scripture that I think I'll print out at some point & tape to my bathroom mirror for days it all seems a little too much-

James 1:2-4 " Consider it pure joy my brothers, when you experience trials of many kinds,for the testing of your faith produces perseverance.Perseverance must finish it's work in you so that you may mature & complete, lacking in nothing."

Joy is a choice that you make everyday- so I will need to make it a choice to be joyful in these upcoming months- not an easy task somedays....

Superbowl Sunday done "Cheesehead" Style....

Well yesterday was the day I kept my promise to a Cheesehead friend of mine & went to her home to watch the Superbowl. It really was a lot of fun to watch the game with her & our other close friends who are Seahawk fans. A little bittersweet since my Bears weren't in the big game but fun non the less.We all brought so much good food to eat & each wore our Team shirts. Much to the disappointment of the "Cheesehead" who thought we should all be wearing Greenbay colors. Yeah that just wasn't going to happen!! I kept my end of the deal & think I managed to only say one or two snide comments about Greenbay all day. Which was super good for me! We had fun watching the Touchdown dance & the excitement on our friends faces as their team won the Big Game!! Now we can only wait for next year & hope there is no lock out so our teams can once again try to make it to the big game. 
All of us already have plans to wait in line for tickets for some of the upcoming games for next year. It has been the best Football Season in years so much fun!! I can hardly wait for next year even though a lot of the cheering & jeering will be over the internet since the Cheeseheads & Seahawks must move away in true Army fashion. At least we had fun while it lasted & that is all that matters. With that I will end with one more DA BEARS are still AWESOME!!

  Hope you enjoy the video of our friends who made watching the Superbowl a lot more fun!

 Once there was a Bear fan, A Cheesehead fan, & a Seahawk fan......LOL

Servicemen Sunday by Mommy Snark

A new Blog Friend has started a wonderful idea of Thanking a Servicemen on Sundays. She recently got in touch with me & asked if she could feature Paul. I am so proud of my husband I of course said "Yes!". He is my hero & the boys superhero. For others to recognize all the sacrifice is an honor to him & me. Thanks so much to Mommy J of Mommy Snark  for taking the time to honor all branches of our Military. If you would like to honor a Servicemen you know of that is deserving go to her Blog & let her know about them. It is a great thing she is doing & we appreciate it alot!! I hope everyone has a wonderful Superbowl Sunday & may the best team win!

                                            Servicemen Sunday:Paul

Field Trip Day

Today my son & I decided it was time for a field trip. Since I Homeschool him we are often times stuck in our house for days on end. We picked the Hands on Children's Museum.
Click on the link to check out their website.

If you live around Fort Lewis & have never gone you should make the time to go with your children. They have the best activity centers around for children. Jeremy is 10 & still loves to go! I snapped a few pictures with my cell as I forgot the regular camera. So below you can see what they have to offer.Jeremy's favorite is the Cargo Ship they have that has all the dials like a real ship. He also found the train table & we built a huge track for all the other children to enjoy. We weighed vegetables, drove an ambulance, & made a water damn. It was a great morning full of learning activities.They do offer Military Discounts of $2 off your admission. It's a great way to spend a cold or rainy Pacific Northwest day!

                The cargo Ship 

 

Learning to weigh vegetables

                  Building a huge train track

           The construction zone

                             Floating Ball Wall



Jeremy & I had a wonderful time together. I love being able to get some one on one time with the boys whenever I can! We are already trying to decide what next month's field trip should be, any suggestions??

BAM!!! It's Red Hair!!

Today I woke up really excited to get my hair done! It's been months since I had highlights done in an effort to save some money. My hair has gone to all one color & very dull/flat looking. I was also so done with having no bangs. I have a little worry line that seems to get worse with each passing deployment that bangs just needed to cover up!The husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday next week & I promptly made my hair appointment!!

I went a much darker shade of red then I have ever gone before. His one request was no more blonde for awhile. I was born with carrot orange hair way back in the day. Through out the years it lightened to strawberry /blonde. As I got older I added a lot of different shades of blonde highlights. But my hubby loves it redder. So I found a pretty picture in a magazine & took to my stylist. We spent about 10 minutes discussing the options & went with an all over darker red & very subtle soft blonde low lights for contrast. 

I LOVE IT!!! I was not so sure but now I  really like it. The bangs hide the worry line that is sure to get deeper in the upcoming months. I think my husband will be surprised when I go pick him up later this week. I will have to get back with everyone & let you all know his reaction. Below is a before & after picture- if you don't like it as much that is fine. But don't crush my Happy Moment please- I am finally relaxed , happy & smiling for the first time in a few weeks- so Let me ENJOY- Thanks....

Before....

After...